Cosoma censures public music use

The Copyright Society of Malawi (Cosoma) has cracked its whip on entertainment spots which  play local music without permission.

So far, Cosoma has confiscated equipment from a number of entertainment centres such as drinking joints in Nkhata Bay for their failure to seek permission before playing the music.

Cosoma head of documentation and royalty distribution Shadrick Kumtengo says anyone who wants to play local music in public places for commercial purposes should first seek authorisation because the songs are protected.

He says their campaign is based on the Copyright Act 2016 as stipulated in sections 29, 58, 88 and 94 as well as the Copyright Public Performance Regulations. The fees that are collected are distributed to the artists as public performance royalties.

“It is one of the routine exercises that we carry out in enforcement of the copyright law to make sure that all users are complying with the copyright licences. We also carry out such activities when we get tip-offs from the public on any piracy malpractices in various places,” he said.

The society has different rates for venues which host entertainment events, bars and restaurants depending on the type of businesses. The rates fall within the range of K350 00 per square metre and K50 000 annually. 

Kumtengo, however, said the enforcement of the law is challenged by limited resources as the society performs multiple roles in collecting and distributing of royalties. He said though this is the case, the initiative is still sustainable since they use laid-down procedures.

“We use implementation tariffs. The biggest challenge is that we need more manpower to carry out the exercise and the physical presence of security officers on the ground,” he said.

Cosoma has six police officers seconded to their office with two allocated to each of the three regions as part of their enforcement team.

To ensure that there is transparency on how the collected royalties are handled, the society publishes all information about what has been collected and distributed.

Kumtengo said they also have an open-door policy where any interested stakeholders are allowed access to information on their operations.

Meanwhile, Musicians Association of Malawi president Gloria Manong’a has commended Cosoma for their efforts, but has implored on them to do more as there is massive disregard of the law.

She said: “Artistic works are being exploited. Cosoma should intensify on this campaign. Let them conduct patrols in the townships and areas within towns. There is a lot of abuse that is happening.”

Musician Anjiru Fumulani said as musicians, they look up to the royalties as one reliable means to earn extra revenue from their creations.

“It is unfortunate that some users of our work do not see the need to be obtaining licences before using our products for their own benefits. The royalties that we receive from Cosoma give us a push financially,” he said.