Musicians on Saturday walked away with the lion’s share of the Blank Media Levy royalties as Copyright Society of Malawi (Cosoma) rolled out a record breaking payout to creatives.
Hosted at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe by President Lazarus Chakwera, the dinner event dubbed ‘Chakwera Arts Stars’ brought together artists from across the creative spectrum.
Among others, the event which Cosoma spotlighted to top beneficiaries of this year’s blank media levies disbursement aimed to recognise the contribution of creative minds.
Chakwera presented certificates and dummy cheques to the artists. The payouts saw urban star Elli Njuchi top the table with K23.4 million, narrowly edging Driemo at K23.3 million.
Other top earners were Zeze Kingston, K18.3 m, Kell Kay K15.8 m, Saint Realest K15.7 m, Gibo Pearson, K12.6 m, Malinga Mafia K10.9 m and Wikise K10.3 m.
A further eight artists received between K6 million and K9 million each.
Speaking in an interview, Saint Realest reflected on the recent developments in the local creative industry saying artists have long awaited a system that truly recognises and rewards their work.
“For years, we have created, performed and inspired with little to show for it. Now, we are finally seeing a system that values our contributions and this is a turning
point for us as artists,” he said.
Saint Realest, who as the top beneficiary last year received K9 million said seeing an artist get K20 million is encouraging and hailed Cosoma for the development.
Cosoma Board chairperson Bishop Chimwemwe Mhango said the society remains committed to its role of promoting and protecting creative works copyright.
He said Cosoma has made notable progress with royalties paid to artists growing from K78 million in 2020 to K1.5 billion in 2025.
Despite this growth, he pointed out that the organisation still faces
challenges, especially the lack of cooperation from certain public institutions when it comes to paying royalties.
“We urge all users of copyright-protected works, particularly public institutions, to set a good example by meeting their licensing obligations. The creative economy cannot grow if people who benefit from artistic work do not pay for its use,” he said.
In his remarks, Chakwera reiterated his administration’s commitment to positioning the creative economy and tourism at the core of Malawi’s development agenda.
He emphasised the need to build an economy where creative works translate into tangible benefits for artists and their communities.
“My administration has placed the creative economy and tourism at the very heart of Malawi’s development vision, not as a footnote, but as a strategic pillar of national prosperity and pride,” he said.
At the event, Chakwera also honoured legendary artists, including musicians Giddes Chalamanda, Paul Banda and Boniface Ndamera with honorary awards and K1 million each.
A posthumous recognition was extended to creative icons Grace Chinga, Lucius Banda, Wambali Mkandawire, Eric Mabedi, John Nyanga and renowned writer Desmond Dudwa Phiri
