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Kenyan Artists Cry Foul Over Meager Royalties

N

Nyakundi Report

Newsroom 1 min read

This archive report was first published on 15 November 2019.

Laika, a Kenyan songbird, has joined the growing list of artists who are fed up with receiving peanuts from music regulators and distributors.

According to a screenshot shared by Laika on Twitter, Ngomma VAS, an online music distributor, paid her a meager Ksh 45 as royalty for her music.

The amount is a far cry from the Ksh 405,000 Laika spent on producing her music, highlighting the disparity between what artists earn and what they invest in their craft.

Laika's case is the latest in a series of controversies surrounding the payment of royalties to Kenyan artists. In 2019, MCSK, a music licensing company, sparked outrage after paying artists a paltry Ksh 2,530 as royalty.

Laika's tweet has sparked a heated debate on social media, with many artists and fans expressing outrage over the meager payment.

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