Producers to receive Sh 14 million as Government fire warning to pirates : The Standard

The government will no longer rate films and music that are pirated and those involved in piracy will face the full force of the law, Kenya film Classification Board CEO Ezekiel Mutua has said. Dr Mutua committed to protecting the right of artistes to earn from the sweat of their brow in an operation that will involve the Kenya Copyright Board and the low enforcers. “In the same breath we want to encourage musicians to produce music that is clean because 70 per cent of Kenyans want clean content,” he said adding that successful artistes such as Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston sold billions of dollars of music with clean content.

SEE ALSO :Retire from politics, Machakos MCAs now tell Kalonzo

To solidify his argument he cited Skiza tunes used on mobile phones and disclosed that out of the top twenty earning Skiza tunes 18 of them are Gospel songs. Dr Mutua also encouraged Kenyans to buy original music because that is the only way they would be guaranteed of continued good music and film. He was speaking at a retreat for officials of three newly accredited Content Management Organisations at the Simba Lodge, Naivasha. Speaking at the same event, the Kenya Copyright Board Executive Director Edward Sigei assured Kenyans that the new CMOs will be true to the interest of performing and recording artistes. “We have a binding commitment with the CMOs to pay 70 per cent of all they collect and only use 30 per cent for management and logistics,” he said.

SEE ALSO :Wiper MCAs defend Kalonzo, ask 3 governors to account for funds

He was allaying fears that in the past CMOs have squandered most of the artistes’ collections paying them a pittance. Performers Rights Society of Kenya (PRISK) Board Chairman Ephantus Kamau has reached out to hotel owners, public transport operators, online content distributors and other consumers of music to cooperate with the CMOs so as to give musicians their due monies. His counterpart Japheth Kassanga who is the new Chairman of the Music Copyright Society of Kenya termed the new office a new dawn for musicians and he committed to live up to the expectations of registered members. “We are ready to shed our past and from now on things will be different,” he assured. The Kenya Association of Music Producers (KAMP) Chairman Anthony Murimi noted that with the three CMOs the work of sensitization and mobilization has become lighter and more efficient.

SEE ALSO :Four arrested as police bust private clinics selling Gov't drugs

During the two day workshop funded by KFCB, it was announced that over Sh 14 million will be distributed in July from KAMP alone. According to statistics from PWC research in 2017kenyan media and entertainment market was worth 210 billion.

Related Topics

Alfred MutuaKenya film Classification BoardSkiza tunes