Fines for hotels, restaurants and shops that had not paid their copyright fees for the music in their establishments should be raised about 100-fold, collective rights organisation Muzikautor said.

Currently fines range between 300 and 3000 leva, with the maximum amount almost never imposed.

"Totally inadequate," according to Vassil Kyurov, deputy chairperson of the management board of Muzikautor. "An establishment in a tourist resort that owes 30 000 to 40 000 leva a year for the music it plays would of course prefer to pay a 1000 leva rather than pay fees due," Bulgarian-language Kapital quoted Kyurov as saying.

Muziautor said it had proposed to the Culture Ministry that fines for not paying copyright fees due should be increased to between 30 000 and 50 000 leva. Additionally, the organisation had asked the ministry to increase control along with simplified and faster prosecution procedures.

"As long as these things don't change, whatever we do, we will not be able to collect the money these establishments owe to authors," Kyurov said.

According to 2009 statistics of the organisation, more than 1800 establishments in the country now had contracts with the organisation for the music played on their premises and the number of new contracts signed during that year had doubled, compared to the year before. Revenue from concerts had increased with 42 per cent and total income of the organisation for 2009 was 4.5 million leva, a decrease of 7 per cent compared to the year before.

"Despite the financial crisis, we have not incurred big losses. Most of the decrease is because of late payments," Magdalina Todorva, managing director of Muzikautor, was quoted by Kapital as saying.

"This does not mean copyrights in this country are well protects," Todorova said.

According to data of organisation, for only 16 out of the 120 biggest concerts in the country copyrights fees due had been paid.