Kourosh Yaghmaei Protests Unauthorized Broadcast of His Works by IRIB

Kourosh Yaghmaei, the renowned Iranian singer, musician, and composer, has protested against the unauthorized broadcast of his works by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). This pop and rock music artist, who has been banned from working for years and is not allowed to release albums, harshly criticized this government media in a story on his Instagram account. He wrote in his message: "As all my kind friends are well aware, I have fortunately been banned from work by the Ministry of Culture for many years." Yaghmaei continued: "However, I am astonished that the radio and television of the same government broadcast our works at their discretion and without permission. Everything is compatible with everything..." Kourosh Yaghmaei is a prominent figure in Iranian music, enjoying great popularity among various generations due to his nostalgic songs like "Gol Yakh." Many believe that Kourosh Yaghmaei is the founder of rock music in Iran, and some have even dubbed him the "father of Iranian rock." This artist remained in Iran after the 1979 revolution but was not allowed to engage in artistic activities. He made a limited return to music in the 1990s and managed to release an album, but this period was very short. In recent years, due to renewed work bans, Yaghmaei has been releasing his albums outside of Iran and communicating with his fans through social media. Maria, an Iranian artist residing in Germany, is a fan of Kourosh Yaghmaei, who recently performed some of his nostalgic songs within the framework of rock music. She told Voice of America: "Kourosh Yaghmaei has been one of the legends of music for my generation and at least one generation before and after mine. He has always been an inspiration to me, both as an audience member and as a singer." She added: "It is very unfortunate that he is banned from work in Iran for unknown reasons, and it is a pity that the opportunity to hear more works from this star of the golden age of Iranian music has been taken away from his fans, as well as the opportunity for him to perform again." This young singer noted: "The noteworthy point is the broadcasting of his works by IRIB without his permission, which, considering the lack of copyright in Iran, and the arbitrary and unprofessional actions of individuals in government agencies, is not surprising from this regime." Unauthorized broadcasting of music works on IRIB is a common practice in this government media, which has faced protests from artists multiple times. These works, in some cases, belong to singers who are banned from working and have no permission for artistic activities, or are banned from appearing on screen, and are broadcast in full or partial form on various occasions. One notable case was the unauthorized broadcast of Mohammad Reza Shajarian's works on IRIB, which led to a lawsuit from this artist. Despite all the obstacles, this case was resolved after eleven years, and the court ruled in favor of Mr. Shajarian, who passed away on October 8, 2020, due to cancer. Kourosh Yaghmaei's mention of his work ban comes at a time when several well-known pop music singers have also criticized the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance for similar reasons. Reza Sadeghi was one of these artists who stated on his social media account that he has been banned from holding concerts. He protested against the statements of Mohammad Mahdi Esmaeili, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, who said that the ban on some pop music singers in Iran is "media fabrication" and "such rumors are not true." Since the onset of recent nationwide protests in Iran, several pop music singers who supported the protesters by criticizing the government's violent repression have come under pressure. Although this has not been officially announced, in recent months, some singers have not been granted permission to hold concerts, and it is said that a group is also banned from leaving the country.