The Music Copyright Society of Kenya has released the first set of royalties payable to musicians for the first quarter of the year. The event took place at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, with the attendance of musicians and key figures from MCSK.
MCSK boss Ezekiel Mutua had previously announced that the society intended to disburse royalties totalling Sh. 20 million to creatives by January 2024.
During the ceremony, Mutua further noted that the payments for the second quarter would be processed in April 2024.
“We have a plan for our artists in 2024. We are working closely with the government through the Ministry of Arts and Culture in a collaboration that will improve MCSK collections and improve members’ welfare through training,” he said.
“The royalties payments for the 2nd quarter will come in April, the third quarter in August and so forth,” Mutua added.
Ezekiel Mutua, who had previously promised to make musicians ‘billionaires’, added that MCSK had set new music tariffs and would serve to ensure transparency and openness in the payment of artists.
“My promise to all musicians is ‘pesa mfukoni’. I am here to make our artists billionaires. I will fight for artists the same way I fought for journalists while at the Kenya Union of Journalists,” he said in a past interview with Nation.
Speaking to SPM Buzz, Dr Ezekiel Mutua stated that Kenyans need to support local content more by playing local music. He disclosed that the top earner of the first royalty distribution was a Tanzanian artist getting Sh. 757,000.
“You can’t choose for people. Content is king. That is why I always tell people to sing songs that can be consumed by family. The reason why local gospel content is earning more is because Kenyans are Christians and religious.”
“But when it comes to broadcasting stations, it is the likes of Otile Brown and Nyashinski who are leading…we need to learn from them,” Mutua stated.
The music governing society projected that they would be disbursing royalties of more than Sh. 2 billion in the year 2024. Mutua clarified that the MCSK owed over Sh. 1.4 billion.
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Mutua addressed the ongoing legal dispute between artists and the society regarding payments, noting that once the matter is resolved, everyone would receive fair payments.
He called on musicians to update records such as KRA pin, phone and account numbers to ensure timely payment is made. Here is a list of some of the top earners in MCSK’s 2024 first-quarter royalties.
| Reuben Kigame | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 122,410.71 |
| Otile Brown | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 120,000.00 |
| Praise Makena | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 110,000.00 |
| Marakwet Daughter (Mali Safi Chito) | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 108,123.41 |
| Stephen Kasolo | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 106,862.77 |
| Joseph Shisia Wasira | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 101,137.00 |
| Joseph Ngala | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 101,032.29 |
| Jackson Wambua Mutinda | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 91,524.94 |
| Solomon Mkubwa | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 74,138.56 |
| De Mathew | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 70,094.00 |
