Disgruntled Kenyan musicians have come out to condemn Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) over poor pay. Nonini, who served as chairman on one of the music bodies, has come out to expose the rot in Collecting Management Organisations (CMOs).
Nonini served as the board chairman for Performers Rights Society of Kenya (PRISK) until August 8th 2018 when he resigned citing frustrations from board members.
In his resignation letter, Nonini said that PRISK had excluding other mandated bodies in collecting royalties jointly as stipulated in the law.
Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) stipulates that PRISK should jointly collect royalties together with Kenya Association of Music Producers (KAMP) and Music Publishers Association of Kenya (MPAKE).
But PRISK and KAMP excluded MPAKE in the the collection of royalties. Four directors at PRISK – Daddy Owen, Ian Mbugua, Irene Kariuki and Beatrice Achieng voted to continue with the illegal collection of royalties. Nameless abstained from the vote while Samuel Kuria (SK Blue) was absent during the vote.
Also read how Kenyan musicians reject KECOBO’s directive of issuing license to MCSK, KAMP & PRISK to collect royalties on their behalf
Nonini decided to resign after he failed to compel PRISK and KAMP to follow the law and include MPAKE in collection of royalties.
And now that MCSK is paying musicians peanuts, Nonini has decided to come out to expose the rot in Collecting Management Organisations (CMOs).
Taking to Facebook, Nonini revealed that corrupt directors at various CMOs are to be blamed for musicians being paid peanuts as royalties.
Last year I resigned as Chairman from a CMO (Collecting Management Organisation) called Performers Rights Society of Kenya. One of my reasons were frustrations being orchestrated by a few fellow directors from MCSK,Kamp and Prisk to work together with a new CMO that for the first time had been given a license over MCSK by the Kenya Copyright Board (Kecobo) which had never happened in 20 years.
I felt like I was not serving the artists who voted for me to be in that board and i could not just sit back and do nothing. End of 2018 came time for licensing for 2019 by (KECOBO) usually they ask for books of accounts and one major condition is that all CMOs must have distributed 70% of collections and for your information MPAKE (Music Publishers Association of Kenya) despite all the frustrations they underwent courtesy of KAMP and PRISK who missed their big Brother MCSk and felt like MPAKE the new entry CMO had not paid enough due in the CMO world.
They were also threatened by Mpake’s efficiency if they managed to distribute 70% they would embarrass Kamp,Prisk and MCSK that have been in the game of for a minute. (Noooo they were not having that hehe). Mpake was the only CMO able to distribute 70% and yet they were denied a license for 2019 and it went back to the status Quo that was and is currently MCSk, PRISK and KAMP. I have attached the distribution of MPAKE last year that was based on music performance and I know the list and amounts are shocking to some but let me put it into perspective.
Total collections between Nov 1 and Dec 31st 2017 was joint collection was about 4M and Mpake’s share for only those 2 months was about 1.8M which they distributed 70%. Imagine if they still had a license 2019 and had 40M (That has been distributed yesterday by MSCK where ARTISTS have gotten KShs 2500 because the amounts were distributed to 15000 members equally) they call it general distribution. Hehe
*Disclaimer* The distribution list I have shared was for 2017 Nov-Dec Mpake distribution only. If they could have been allowed to operate without all the politics today artists would be earning 6 figures. Guess what when meetings are called to enlighten Urban artists they don’t show up. When CMOs hold AGMs cool urban Artists don’t attend and the 15000 members who most are not Musicians attend religiously and pass Agendas and Policies that favour them hence 40M 2019 was distributed equally to all 15k members and result is 2500 screen shots you are seeing.
SOLUTION MY FELLOW MUSICIANS:
Let’s Waiver our rights specifically for CMOs to collect money on our behalf andikia Hao barua pepe leo list your catalogue and say:
I,
Artist… xxx… have authorized my music to be played on the following platforms and no one is allowed to collect money on my behalf
– Radio stations
– matatus
– clubsFrom Aug 2019 to Aug 2020
