By Jimmy Chazama and Sam Banda Jnr
Copyright Society of Malawi (Cosoma) admitted on Monday that they need to intensify sensitisation on blank media levy royalties which are misunderstood by artists in terms of its criterion for distribution.
This is ahead of the blank media levy royalties disbursement of K917 million from Friday up from K505 million in the previous payout in January this year to musicians, filmmakers and authors whose works were reproduced during the period of October 2023 to March 2024.
Since its inception, some artists continue to query the distribution system with others alleging that those who criticise the copyright body are given more money to shut them up.
Cosoma Head of Documentation and Distribution Shadrick Kumtengo, said they have been conducting sensitisation programmes for all concerned parties but have observed that they need to do more.
“The society continually engages stakeholders in making sure that the right information is disseminated but there are gaps and we need to engage them more,” Kumtengo said.
He observed that some artists who have made a name for themselves in the previous years “feel that they deserve to be compensated with the blank media levy funds regardless that their works are not active in the distribution periods.”
Kumtengo said the blank media levy compensates the works which have been active during the specified distribution period.
He said that the biggest challenge since they started managing blank media levy is that artists have stopped selling their works and that they hope to receive funds from Cosoma.
“In a normal situation the artist is supposed to first make sales to recoup their investments, and later hope to get a royalty as a secondary income from their works,” he said.
Kumtengo clarified that blank media levy comes from an economic right of production under section 29 of the Copyright Act, 2016.
“As such all data for distribution of the funds from the same is collected from reproduction streams i.e. softcopy operators (burning centres), ringtones, downloads etc.
These streams have different points and co-eficients in our distribution software,” he said.
Kumtengo added that in terms of distribution, the reproduction data collected form the mentioned streams are inputted in their system on day-to-day basis (real time) as they receive.
“The inflow of data from all corners across the country converges together and is converted into point values and later the system makes systematic calculations and allocation to the works depending on frequency. The more frequency a work gets the more the allocation of the funds,” he said.
Cosoma says in a statement that over 100 creatives, whose works have earned them royalties exceeding K1 million will be presented with certificates of recognition at a ceremony to be held at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe on Thursday.
Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture Richard Chimwendo Banda is expected to preside over the ceremony with the distribution of royalties set to begin on Friday.
In the January 2024 disbursement, youthful musicians Eli Njuchi and Driemo ruled pocketing over K5 million. Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) and Cosoma recommenced collection of a levy on media storage devices in 2020.
The levy on media storage devices, also known as Private Copy Levy, is charged on purchases of recordable media as compensation to the rights holders for loss of income due to copyright infringements.
