This archive report was first published on 18 August 2019.
Published on August 18, 2019, a heated debate has erupted among Kenyan artistes over the distribution of royalties by the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK). While some artistes have taken to social media to express their disappointment and criticize MCSK for paying low royalties, others have come out in defense of the organization.
King Kaka, Khaligraph Jones, Susan Owiyo, and Willy Paul were among the artistes who expressed their dissatisfaction with the royalties amounting to Sh2530. However, 13 artistes, including Maji Maji, Ringtone, and Octopizzo, have defended MCSK, stating that the ranting artistes were misinformed about the distribution.
According to Julias Owino, popularly known as Maji Maji, the distribution was made as per the passed regulations to all 15,000 registered members. He attributed the low royalties to the existence of 'ghost members' or artists registering family members with only one song released to enjoy the royalties.
Octopizzo urged his fellow artistes not to start another organization to collect license fees on their behalf, as had been suggested. He stated that if artistes receive peanuts in October, they will raise the issue. The artistes expect a Performance in Public Places payable in October every year, which will include radio and TV broadcast royalties.
There was also a concern that the Music Publishers Association of Kenya withheld royalties for two years. MCSK defended themselves, stating that they had collected and distributed Sh44 million in royalties, which was 68 percent of the total collection. The royalties were collected from small businesses such as barbershops, salons, malls, and PSVs.
