Copyright, royalties and piracy in Africa

Although first-world countries, especially those in Western Europe and Scandinavia, have done well to keep piracy in check by monitoring and reprimanding the proprietors of shady websites, Africa is still behind in many ways. Even when it comes to paying royalties to artists, many collective management organisations (CMOs) across the continent are doing a lousy job by not paying out musicians their rightful earnings or by simply reneging on their promise to provide a decent service. There are stories almost every day about battles within CMO boards that resemble political circuses where the individuals involved seem to only seek power and fame. And it seems many governments don’t really care about the plight of artists who struggle to make a living from their music.

Many African artists have also given up on trying to sell their recorded works. Singles and sometimes entire albums are often used as mere publicity tools to get fans to attend live shows. Similarly, videos and mp3s are uploaded on streaming services where views/plays have taken over as the real currency that dictates to fans whether a song is worthy of their ears.

Nonetheless, there are many genuine players in the African music industry who work tirelessly to see musicians and composers remunerated for their efforts, and Music In Africa prides itself in sharing with our readership their success stories, while exposing those who are in it for the wrong reasons.

Below is a list of some of the English content already on the site that is relevant to the subject of copyrights and royalties – essential reading for anyone involved in the African music industry. We have commissioned Overview texts and useful resources covering the legislative and administrative practices in many African countries and will be adding news, features and other resources as the month progresses.

Overview texts

• Copyright and royalties in Togo
• Copyrights, royalties and music piracy in Ethiopia
• Copyright, royalties and piracy in the Eritrean music industry
• Copyright, royalties and musical piracy in Mauritius
• Copyrights, royalties and music piracy in Congo-Brazzaville
• Copyrights, royalties and music piracy in Kenya
• Copyrights, royalties and music piracy in Rwanda
• Music piracy, copyrights and royalties in Ivory Coast
• Music piracy, copyrights and royalties in Uganda
• Copyrights, royalties and music piracy in Namibia
• Copyright, royalty collection and music piracy in Tanzania
• Copyrights and music royalty collection in the Gambia
• Music piracy in Mali
• Copyrights, royalties and music piracy in Malawi
• Music piracy and royalty collection in Zimbabwe
• Copyrights and royalty collection in Ghana
• Music piracy in South Africa

Other resources

• A Guide to Copyright in Kenya
• Copyright Law in Kenya
• Copyright: The challenges posed by Reproduction Rights Organizations (RROs) in the provision of information to users
• Nigerian Copyright Law: a toolkit
• Copyright Law reform in Uganda
• A short guide to copyright law in Tanzania
• How music royalties get distributed

New and features

• Zimbabwean music pirates at it again
• Tanzanian artists urged to register with copyright bodies
• Nigeria ratifies four copyright treaties
• No end in sight for Kenyan royalties quagmire
• Musicians Union of Ghana: We need to improve