Which Licenses are Required for an Event in Mumbai?

A traditional corporate event has the usual mix of a business session to discuss strategy or review performance and a evening filled with fun, good music, entertainment and a lot of back slapping for the guys who won awards. Whist planning and budgeting events such as these, each and every client has asked the question, "what's this line item that says event licenses & permissions?"

So, here's the event licenses & permissions 'line item' decoded - every event hosted anywhere in India requires the event company to apply for and procure certain licenses from government bodies and permissions or no objection certificates from various bodies created to protect the rights of the entertainers. Listed below is the laundry list for a city like Mumbai. Every city would have their own individual requirements.

1. Phonographic Performance Ltd. (PPL): Est. in 1941,  PPL owns, as assignee, and exclusively controls public performance rights and radio broadcasting rights in more than 5 lakh songs (sound recordings) in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Punjabi, Marathi, Malayalam, Bhojpuri and other Indian languages, including both film and non-film songs such as ghazals, devotional, folk, pop, classical, etc, of its more than 250 members, who are music labels.
2. The Indian Performing Right Society Ltd. (IPRS): Est. in 1969, the business of IPRS is to issue licenses to users of music and collect royalties from them, for and on behalf of its members i.e. authors, composers and publishers of music and distribute this royalty amongst them after deducting its administrative costs.
3. Novex Communications: A fairly new entrant, Novex is an authorized agent for Yash Raj Films, UTV Movies, Shemaroo Entertainment Pvt Ltd to grant on their behalf Public Performance Rights to a 3rd party.
4. Excise License: is to be procured for the sale or supply of alcohol at a live or recorded music event in India. Hotels and venues will sometimes ask for a 'one day liquor license'. For events specifically in Maharashtra, some hotels & venues may require you to obtain an 'alcohol permit'. The legal age for alcohol consumption is 25, and all residents of the state must obtain an alcohol permit to consume, transport, or possess up to 12 units of alcohol or face a fine of up to INR 50,000 and/or a jail sentence of up to five years.
5. NOC from the Collector (entertainment department): If your is a non-ticketed, closed door, invitee only event, then one needs to procure this NOC. If it is a ticketed event, then one needs to take a Commercial Taxes License. The Entertainment Tax has to be calculated based on the estimated number of tickets to be sold. The percentage of entertainment tax varies from place to place and state to state. The payment of the ET has to be done well in advance and the tickets need to be stamped by the Commercial Taxes department after which, they can go on sale.
6. Other mandatory licenses & permissions issued by government bodies:
   1. Premises license
   2. Performance license
   3. NOC from the Traffic Department
   4. NOC from the Fire Brigade Department
   5. NOC from the Electrical Inspector
   6. NOC from the Health Department
   7. NOC from the Rangabhumi Parinirikshan Mandal (for Maharashtra only)

You could try navigating these waters on your own or you could get in touch with us! We have the expertise and wherewithal to seamlessly obtain all the requisite licenses & permissions for your next event.