This archive report was first published on 14 August 2019.
On August 14, 2019, several Kenyan artistes received Mpesa messages with an added Ksh2,530 in their accounts from Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) as royalty payments.
The artistes, including prominent figures like Khaligraph Jones and King Kaka, took to social media to express their frustration over the low payments, citing that music is their primary source of income.
King Kaka alleged that MCSK has not received any money from broadcasters who exploit local music, leading to the general distribution of royalties.
In response, MCSK stated that they made a general distribution because strictly following the scientific distribution would have resulted in 70% of the collected money being paid to international societies, leaving Kenyan artistes with minimal earnings.
With over 13,000 artistes registered with MCSK, the music body distributed over Ksh35 million this quarter, sparking further debate over the fairness of the royalty distribution system.
