The feud between Anna Vissi and Nikos Karvelas seems to be entering a new chapter, this time centered on the songs that marked their shared journey and played a decisive role in their careers on the Greek music scene.
Nikos Karvelas’s decision to personally manage the public performance rights to his compositions raises questions about whether this development might affect Anna Vissi’s repertoire.
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But why can any composer—in this case, Nikos Karvelas—tell anyone to “stop” singing his songs? When asked to respond on the Alpha Kalimera show, attorney Marinos Kleanthous explained that in the eyes of the law, whoever holds the copyright—that is, the intellectual property rights to a work—is in the same position as someone who owns real estate or any other property right.
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“So the first crucial question is who holds the copyright to a song. Because often it may not be the person who wrote it—the composer—but rather someone who created it under an employment contract with a record label or another party. In that case, the copyright is automatically transferred to the party that paid. “So, in a hypothetical scenario of a dispute between a composer and a performer, the first thing that needs to be determined is who holds the rights, so that one can then assess what authority they have over the song.”
Journalist Kostas Karnakis, for his part, explained that essentially all the rights Nikos Karvelas had granted as the composer to the self-management organization have been revoked, that is, to the company that protects all the artists’ copyrights.
“He issued his revocation, and as of September 30—which was made public on October 8— —anyone who wants to use one of his songs publicly or for a public performance must obtain permission from him personally. He will not be part of a collective management organization, and they will not receive a percentage from him. From now on, he himself will decide the fate of his songs and who will be allowed to sing them. To put it simply, anyone who wants to perform one of his songs—including Anna Vissi—will have to ask for his permission.”
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However, according to Mr. Kleanthus, this does not mean that we will stop hearing songs on the radio that have already been recorded and that stations are undoubtedly allowed to play.
“And there, of course, stations are also obligated to pay the required royalties for actual rights. And this obligation exists in Cyprus as well, not just in Greece. And there are these companies that collect royalties on behalf of both composers and performers. We’re talking about live performances, where this obligation exists in any case. It’s just that now, if someone says from this point on that they won’t grant a license to anyone—or specifically to this person—they have that right. And in Cyprus, in Greece, and everywhere in Europe, when someone creates something, they are the absolute owner. They have the right to do whatever they want with their property—whether to use it or not. However, the same law protects a song.”
According to Mr. Kleanthos, the composition of the lyrics is also protected by software programs.
“We’re talking about a lot of money here. So, if an exception has been granted to someone who creates the software, the program, the application… then you can see the doors that open and how many other financial and legal issues will arise. It doesn’t mean that just because I’m the composer and I’m claiming a million or half a million, I’m entitled to it. There are formulas established by this collective management organization that apply in both Greece and Cyprus. There’s a specific legal formula that determines what each party is entitled to—they look at things like, “There was a concert tonight; how many people attended? Was admission free?” All of this is part of the formula. So there’s a percentage, which clearly defines what each side is entitled to. If you hold the copyright, you’re all-powerful. You just need to know how to handle it properly. The legislation is in place. The problem is that the rights holders aren’t interested in protecting their rights. If this dispute continues, both sides will lose financially. That’s clear.”
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