New copyright system: Artistes to reap big off stage

Ugandan musicians and creatives are set for a major boost after President Yoweri Museveni recently gave the green light for the operationalisation of an integrated copyright management system. The initiative is designed to ensure fair compensation for artistes whose work is used for commercial gain.

“This technology should be able to tell us who has played my song and where, or that what you have sung belongs to someone else,” President Museveni remarked while addressing music stakeholders in Rwakitura on February 28, 2025.

“I am happy to learn that we now have a system to protect the rights of our artistes and ensure they earn from their talent. This is a step in the right direction,” he stated.

How the system works

According to Dr Joel Isabirye, the principal development economist at State House, the system allows musicians to register their works, which will then be monitored whenever they are played in public places. Licensed venues and businesses that use music for entertainment will be required to pay a fee to compensate the creators.

“If I have a bar or a hotel and I am playing music, the people who come to that bar have come to drink or pay to enter because music is playing either on video or speakers. The President and artistes think that at least you should pay a little bit more to the musicians because you are using their work to make money,” Isabirye explained.

Traditional broadcast stations (Radio and TV) are also required to pay for the music they use.

“Let us get a percentage of what you are earning because you are using our work to bring you listeners, who you use to attract advertisers. His Excellency, the President, has recognised the need for this to be enforced and implemented, and that is why he directed the State House scientists to develop the integrated copyright management system, which has now been completed,” he added.

To enforce copyright law, every bar in Uganda must install a chip or machine to monitor music usage.

Owners must comply to obtain a business licence from the Ministry of Local Government. The chip will be inspected regularly and any attempt to remove it will trigger a system alert.

“Police will then come in to enforce whether all places playing music have the recommended devices provided by this system to detect music.

UCC (Uganda Communications Commission) will be able to detect all the songs that have been played through that system. If they have not paid, the monitoring agency, UCC, will communicate that bar X, Y and Z have not paid for this year,” Isabirye explained.

He said the new system will allocate payments based on the frequency a song is played without favouring “big or small” artistes.

What it means to artistes

For so long, artistes (mainly musicians) have cried foul over “royalty robbery”, claiming that they neither get any royalties or receive peanuts for their works. Uganda Performing Rights Society (UPRS) collects royalties for musicians throughout the country.

Anthony Mwandha, former chief executive officer (CEO) of UPRS and tax advisory officer, said this is a game-changing move expected to unlock billions for all artistes.

According to him, the system will streamline royalty collection and distribution, and will ensure that creatives receive fair compensation for their work. He argued that it will reduce copyright infringement and piracy.

“For years, the sector has struggled with revenue leakages due to poor copyright enforcement. Now we have a centralised digital platform that tracks the usage of copyrighted works across radio, TV, streaming platforms and public venues. The system will ensure that every time a song is played or a film is aired, the rightful owner gets paid,” Mwandha said.

According to him, countries like Sweden and the UK have already implemented similar systems.

“In Sweden, STIM (Swedish Performing Rights Society) uses digital tracking to collect and distribute royalties efficiently, while in the UK, PRS for Music collects over £800m (sh3.6 trillion) annually, benefiting artistes and rights holders,” Mwandha said.

“The success of this system will depend on proper enforcement and public awareness. We must build trust with artistes and media houses,” he added.

Challenges

With the current state of UPRS and mistrust of its members, it is too early to start reaping benefits. In recent history, UPRS has weathered several storms. According to its 2023 Annual Report, collections amounted to a gross of sh443.9m. After deducting 18% VAT (sh79.9m), UPRS was left with a Net Total Revenue of sh364m.

However, according to Deric Fredric Namakajo, a creative arts lawyer and secretary of the Pan African Network on Artistic Freedom (PANAF), transparency and accountability remain significant concerns in Uganda’s copyright management system. While UPRS is structured as a member-based society, its leadership and financial management raise questions about whether musicians are truly reaping the benefits.

While Namakajo acknowledged that “the revenue collected proves that music can pay”, he added: “The key issue is how these funds are distributed. Are the artistes — the rightful beneficiaries — actually receiving their fair share, or is most of it absorbed in administrative costs?”

The 2023 report says there are approximately 21 employees, whose salaries range between sh500,000 and sh20m. When multiplied over 12 months, this suggests that a large portion of the total revenue is spent on salaries rather than on royalty distributions to musicians.

“UPRS must revisit its financial priorities,” Namakajo argued. “The organisation was created to serve its members, yet many artistes feel left out. Without structural reforms, UPRS risks becoming a bureaucratic entity, sustaining itself at the expense of the very people it was meant to empower.”

UPRS chairman speaks out

Martin Nkoyoyo alias Yoyo, the chairman of the UPRS board, however, dismissed questions regarding the expenditure on salaries and rent.

“It is not important. We should be asking questions that help build the music industry. Even the Police take bribes, but can you remove the Police? “One of our biggest challenges is limited revenue. We are actively working on increasing collections so that musicians can earn more,” he said.

Yoyo also refuted claims about extravagant salaries, particularly for the CEO.

“The previous CEO had a gross salary of sh12m, but under the new administration, we revised it because we simply do not have that kind of money. The current acting CEO earns sh3m,” he said.

What artistes earn

Over the years, several musicians have publicly shared screenshots of the money they received from the UPRS, sparking widespread criticism over the low payouts. Karole Kasita revealed that she was given only sh20,000, while Spice Diana received sh319,635 for five years’ worth of music royalties. Similarly, Angella Katatumba disclosed that she was paid about sh300,000.

In response to the backlash, Cindy Sanyu, the former president of the Uganda Musicians Association (UMA) urged fellow artistes to be appreciative.

“Some artistes got money from UPRS. I have not received any money, but I would say congratulations to UPRS because they at least remembered that they have to pay us our money,” Cindy said.