On Thursday, June 13, the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) issued a directive for the immediate closure of all accounts used by the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) for royalties collection.
This decision was communicated by KECOBO Chairperson Joshua Kutuny during a meeting with the management of Performing and Audio-Visual Rights Society of Kenya (PAVRISK). The Kenya Association of Music Producers (KAMP) and Performers Rights Society of Kenya (PRISK) were also affected by these new measures.
The closure of these accounts comes as part of KECOBO’s decision to transfer the responsibility of royalty collection to PAVRISK.
“Today we held a consultative meeting with the chairman of PAVRISK Edwardo Waigwa and agreed on the immediate closure of KAMP/PRISK (KP) and KAMP/PRISK/MCSK (KPM) accounts used for collection in the previous dispensation,” Kutuny stated after the meeting.
Joshua Kutuny further announced that staff responsible for royalty collection will now be issued with an ID containing a special code jointly provided by PAVRISK and KECOBO. This code aims to enhance transparency and accountability in the collection process by directly linking to the collection system.
Since PAVRISK was granted the exclusive certificate for royalty collection on June 6, Kutuny reported a significant increase in daily revenue.
“Following the issuance of the Collective Management Organization (CMO) license to PAVRISK, the daily collection of royalties from music users has risen from Ksh600,000 to Ksh1.2 million,” Kutuny stated.
He further projected that the implementation of this enhanced system would further boost daily collections to Kes.3 million.
The Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) emphasized that the decision to exclude MCSK and other bodies from royalty collection was driven by feedback from music users who expressed a preference for a single licensing entity.
“Many users have expressed their willingness to collaborate with the Board and the newly licensed Collective Management Organization (CMO) for the benefit of creatives,” stated the KECOBO Chairman.
Kutuny cautioned that any organization attempting to collect royalties on behalf of creatives without KECOBO’s license would be in violation of the law and subject to legal action.
