Kenyan musicians cry out to president Uhuru to intervene in their royalties

Kenyan Musicians have now called on President Kenyattato push for a digital way of collecting royalties.

While speaking on behalf of the artists the head of of the collective associations Nonini said, “Matters to do with music, please let them be removed from the Attorney General and directed to the Arts and Culture ministry. Also, royalty collection made digital. As per now, we do not know who does the collecting of royalties because it is a private institution that does it.”

Nonini resigned as board chairman of Performers Rights Society of Kenya (Prisk) last year because it excluded other agencies mandated with collecting royalties jointly with it as stipulated by the law.

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“They were still not following conditions of awarding artistes. MCSK was deregistered in 2017 because they collected money but did not pay artistes, which they continued to collect illegally in 2018 and they still did not pay artistes,” Nonini said.

In addition he said, “The court even found them guilty and ordered Kecobo to take action, and instead of them doing that, they have now gone ahead to licence the same organisations that have not paid artistes.”

The ,move comes after KECOBO executive director Edward Sigei’s  gave  three content management organisations (MCSK, Kamp and Prisk the go ahead  a joint licence to collect royalties from users on behalf of musicians.

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In a statement, the musicians sought to find out why Sigei issued the three organisations with collective management organisation (CMO) licences to collect royalties on their behalf behind Arts and Culture CS Rashid Echesa’s back.

The artists call also came a week after presidentb Kenyatta asked the Event Director Big Ted at Statehouse to organise the artist to go visit him at statehouse so that they can give all their grievances to the president.

The president requested for the meeting during the funeral on Bruce Odhiambo who was a longtime music producer and chairman Youth fund at the time of his death.

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