The 'pay-to-sing' rule for wedding ceremonies, private parties, and concerts has been suspended.

The Association of Creators and Publishers of Sri Lanka (ACPOSL) has decided to temporarily suspend all licensing activities in the face of accusations, criticisms, and submissions made by various stakeholders in the entertainment industry over the past few weeks. Issuing a special media statement on October 12, 2026, the Association (also referred to as the Sri Lanka Association of Music Creators and Music Publishers in the statement) announced that it would review its royalty fee structure.

The Board of Directors of this Association, registered as a collective management organization under the Intellectual Property Act No. 36 of 2003 and located at No. 115, Sri James Peiris Mawatha, Colombo 02, has reached this decision after carefully considering the feedback received from stakeholders in the industry. Accordingly, all licensing activities will be temporarily suspended until the Association's Annual General Meeting (AGM), scheduled to be held in November 2026.

ACPOSL expresses its regret if this situation has caused any inconvenience to the public or stakeholders in the industry, and also expresses its concern if any statement made during the recent press conferences has inadvertently caused hurt or inconvenience to any stakeholder.

However, the Association emphasizes that this temporary suspension will not affect or prejudice ACPOSL's existing rights, legal remedies, or legal standing. The Association states that the primary objective of its initiative was to support and strengthen the continuous growth of the entire entertainment industry, while also contributing to building a more fair, transparent, and sustainable system for creators, authors, and publishers, and that this commitment remains unchanged.

ACPOSL has also taken steps to initiate a series of formal discussions with industry representatives and stakeholders to carefully address the issues that have arisen, and to review and revise the proposed licensing framework and associated licensing fees. The statement indicates that the Association is committed to approaching this process with full transparency and to collaboratively formulating a new legal framework that considers the aspirations and well-being of all relevant stakeholders.

The revised framework, which will be prepared after these discussions, is scheduled to be presented to the ACPOSL membership for consideration and approval at the upcoming Annual General Meeting in November. Subject to the necessary approvals and relevant legal procedures, the Association expects to proceed with the publication of the revised framework in the Government Gazette.

ACPOSL states that it believes trust is built through mutual dialogue, transparency, and a willingness to listen. Accordingly, while working to resolve the issues that have arisen and re-establish confidence in this initiative, the Association requests the continued contribution and cooperation of all other stakeholders, including creators, authors, publishers, musicians, music users, event organizers, venue and premises owners, to make this program successful in a manner that is fair, practical, and beneficial to the entire entertainment industry in Sri Lanka. ACPOSL thanks everyone who submitted their ideas and suggestions and further states that it looks forward to working collaboratively in the future.