President William Ruto gives directives on Music Royalties

The creative industry remains lukewarm following a directive by President William Ruto to help streamline matters royalties.

During his Jamhuri Day speech, President Ruto directed the Kenya Copyright Board and other stakeholders including e-Citizen to establish a better and working structure.

“It’s unacceptable that an artist earns as little as Shs10,000 a year while those tasked with collecting their royalties pocket millions monthly…The Kenya Copyright Board, in conjunction with industry players and eCitizen, must establish a transparent, real-time system for royalty collection and distribution to rightful owners and beneficiaries,” stated Ruto.

Royalty payment has remained an illusive issue for previous regimes, with artistes lamenting on financial exploitation by Collective Management Organisations (CMO). Currently there are three main CMOs; Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) Kamp Copyright & Related Rights Ltd ( previously KAMP) and Performing and Audio-Visual Rights Society of Kenya (PAVRISK).

Reacting to the news, Kamp Copyright & Related Rights Ltd Chair Angela Ndambuki has cautioned that while the president may have good intentions he has been misinformed. “The solution is not for government to take over the collections. That would be a case of ‘from the frying pan into the fire.’ The Kenya Copyright Board is the biggest cause of confusion in the collective management space. Led by greed and corruption Kecobo has for the past few years been responsible for the dire state of collective management in Kenya . An example this year Kecobo licensed PAVRISK a CMO without requisite rights and one that for the last few years been known for squandering artists royalties. This is not a secret,” she told the Standard.

Angela says there is mistrust among its members when it comes to the regulatory body.

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“The president should start by overhauling the agency and placing individuals with rights holders interest at heart. We do not want government to run affairs of private sector we want them to provide a conducive environment for us to conduct our business. KAMP has proven itself over the years to be transparent and accountable in its operations. We are the only CMO that has managed to distribute 61 per cent royalties. KAMP has systems in place that ensures rights holders are paid scientifically- as per the use of their work,” she added.

While lauding the President on his vision for embracing digitization, PAVRISK CEO Antony Njagih says the directive has been in place since 2019.

“Digitization is a good route but how do we handle the unending CMO cases and conflicts of interest. There are over 20 live cases in court. We need an end to that,’ he stated.

At the same time, President Ruto pointed out that his government has adopted the integration creative industry courses into technical and vocational collages as a reliable mechanisms to build a skilled workforce.