A critic of the Russian Communications Ministry's proposal to merge Russia's three main collection societies, RAO (Russia's Author Society), VOIS and RSP to make operations more transparent and simplify procedures for rights holders has been attacked and badly beaten. Andrei Krichevsky, head of the state-run Melodiya label, was quoted by the news agency RIA Novosti as saying that the proposal was "incompetent" and the existing system of copyright royalty collection has proven to be efficient. Shortly after making that comment, Krichevsky, who also holds the position of RAO's deputy general director, was severely beaten when leaving his office in central Moscow.
Controversy continues in Russia over the move to take the Russkaya Media Group, and the music radio stations and TV channel it operates, into state ownership, through an acquisition by state-run concert promoter Goskontsert, which reports into the country's Ministry Of Culture.
http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6664041/russian-ministry-proposes-changes-to-royalty-collections-critic-of-changes
http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6670380/russian-media-group-controversy-leadership
RAO, which represents Russian authors and songwriters, has announced that it is merging with VOIS, which represents sound recording owners, and RSP, which collects the private copy levy in Russia, to create one big rights body, seemingly to be known as PDK RAO. Collecting societies in Russia need government approval, but the country's culture minister has reportedly backed the new combined rights organisation.
