Music rights organisations met in Ho Chi Minh City on 28 and 29 October 2026 to address artificial intelligence (AI), rights data and royalty collection. Hosted by the Vietnam Center for Protection of Music Copyright (VCPMC), the meeting was part of a programme that brought together more than 100 representatives of collective management organisations, music publishers and international digital platforms from 26 to 30 October.
AI and society governance
Opening the meeting, VCPMC Director General Đinh Trung Cẩn called for international cooperation as digital services and AI change the music industry. Gadi Oron thanked VCPMC for hosting the gathering and described it as a chance to share experience and develop practical responses to common challenges.
Sessions examined lobbying, litigation and the registration of AI-generated and AI-assisted works. The agenda also covered regional communications, global digital services data exchange and arrangements involving multiple collective management organisations. Panels moderated by Benjamin Ng addressed governance, data systems and live performance administration, with society representatives and specialists examining practices that support payments to creators.
Rights data and live music
The wider programme included the Technical Online Working Group for Asia-Pacific (TOWGA), connecting societies and publishers with representatives of YouTube, Meta, Spotify and Apple Music. Discussions covered rights verification, duplicate and conflicting claims, and music usage reporting, all of which affect the identification of rights and the collection and distribution of royalties across borders.
National and territory reports compared developments across markets. VCPMC reported a 24% revenue increase in the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. Societies also discussed royalty collection for concerts and other live music events.
Creators’ concerns
The week included the Asia-Pacific Music Creators Alliance (APMA) General Assembly and a Creators’ Seminar. APMA discussions covered AI and buyout contracts, including the risk that younger creators could lose long-term royalty income.
At the seminar on 30 October, newly elected APMA Chairman Lee Shiha urged creators to work more closely together to defend their interests during the AI era. Arriën Molema called for transparency and creators’ permission when their works are used to train AI. Participants also identified international cooperation and better data connections as priorities.
