Ugandan singer Eddy Kenzo has once again taken aim at the Uganda Performing Rights Society (UPRS), accusing the organization of failing to establish a fair and transparent system for collecting and sharing music royalties among artists.Kenzo’s latest criticism follows controversy surrounding recent royalty payouts by UPRS, after reports emerged that some established musicians received amounts that many fans and industry stakeholders described as surprisingly low.
Reports indicated that Weasel was paid Shs250,000, while Spice Diana reportedly received Shs1.4 million.The Uganda National Musicians Federation (UNMF) president argued that the current royalty distribution framework no longer reflects the realities of Uganda’s modern music industry. He said the system relies on outdated guidelines that do not match the provisions of the amended Copyright and Neighbouring Rights law.Kenzo explained that UPRS collects money from businesses and entertainment venues that use recorded music but does not have an effective way of determining how often individual songs are played before allocating payments to artists.
He questioned the fairness of a system where royalties are distributed without accurate airplay records, saying musicians should be rewarded based on measurable data showing how frequently their songs are consumed by the public.The singer pointed to the Nyange machine, a digital music monitoring tool introduced after changes in copyright regulations, as a possible solution to the ongoing disputes. He said the technology could provide accurate information about music usage and help create a more accountable royalty payment system.
Speaking about Weasel’s reported payout, Kenzo described it as unacceptable, arguing that an artist with a long-standing catalogue and regional influence should not receive such a small return if royalty collections are being handled properly.Kenzo maintained that Uganda’s music industry can only grow when artists have confidence in the systems responsible for protecting their creative work, calling for greater transparency, proper tracking of music usage and a royalty structure that rewards musicians according to their actual contribution.
