Let MBC, Cosoma come on the round table

If there is one thing that brought excitement among creatives in 2022 then it was the royalties that they received from the Copyright Society of Malawi (Cosoma).

In the just ended year, the society shelled out a staggering K596.9 million as royalties to creatives in the field of music, film and books as part of the blank media levy and reprography. That windfall presented one of the best turnouts in years.

The excitement among players in the industry was evident. Of course, minus a few murmurs from here and there about the  process not being transparent enough. But still, we saw several artists post their fortune on the social media in an apparent act of appreciation.

When one is working, the day that he longs for the most is when he gets his dues. No matter how long it takes and how little the dues are, if they are finally on your plate, it gives one all the reasons to be happy and feel satisfied. The situation was no different.

Avenues for creatives to earn some decent money in the country are limited. Despite the hard work that players are ploughing in their trade, the returns still remain pale. That has not slowed them down however, they are still putting in a wonderful shift.

Part of Cosoma’s revenue base comes from royalties collected from radio and television stations for their use of copyright works. The platform is one of the many that Cosoma relies on when it comes to revenue generation.

This week some disturbing news filtered in when it was reported that the country’s biggest user and contributor of music  revenue Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), has terminated its contract with Cosoma.

The development meant  MBC would cease to use music in its broadcasting upon expiry of the current contract on February 13. The music is both local and international as the whole package is policed by Cosoma.

On paper, the news appeared too disturbing to be true. But as it turned out, MBC had their grievances which they strongly feel need to be addressed. The mode of levying the station was the bone of contention.

As part of the 30-year-old agreement, MBC were being asked to surrender their financial reports to Cosoma to facilitate the determination of the amount the society was levying them in royalties.  

According to MBC director general George Kasakula, the mechanism lacked any legal backing. The corporation is of the view that after a thorough legal assessment they have conducted, new terms need to be agreed between the two parties.

The MBC chief said to make it worse, the system was only applicable to MBC while other stations are billed differently and in a lenient way. It is a stance that Cosoma abruptly refuted and the two appear locked at loggerheads.

Considering that the issue has legal implications, it makes it more complicated for laymen to comment on. On the other hand, is the interest that it has generated considering its effects by extension.

What is encouraging is that MBC says they are not against paying of the royalties to Cosoma. Nor are they against playing music on their platforms. Kasakula even indicated that come February 13, they will continue to play music.

There only worry is the manner they are being billed by the society. They have therefore requested for a roundtable meeting with Cosoma to iron out their misgivings on the previous arrangement with a view of entering into a new agreement.

As leading stakeholders in this case, MBC and Cosoma should consider the plight of the beneficiaries of the end game who are the creatives. After their sweating, these people are waiting to earn something at the end of the day.

It would be unfortunate and sad if these differences should end up in a situation whereby someone is suffering. For what they are, both MBC and Cosoma mean well for Malawian art. Let the two put the interests of the industry first and come on that roundtable sooner than later. After all it cannot hurt to review an agreement that has been standing for 30 years. It is good for progress.