Lata Mangeshkar backs Javed Akhtar's fight for royalty rights

Lata Mangeshkar says she supports Javed Akhtar in his fight to secure royalty rights for singers and lyricists.

"I'm a 110 per cent with Javed Saab. My only fear is, how will he cope with all the backlash coming his way from producers and music companies who are very angry and upset?. I fought for royalty for singers in the 1960s. I had even stopped recording songs at that time while other singers who didn't support my cause continued to record. My mission collapsed. My colleagues didn't get the point. If a songwriter like Javed Saab had spoken up alongside me in the 1960s, a change in copyright rules would have occurred long back. Javed Saab is fighting a much wider battle. Singers and other musicians often die in penury," Mangeshkar said.