Artists highlight compensation practices by Collective Management Organisations and digital platforms

In a statement representing Kenyan artists at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Kenyan musician and actress Nikita Kering called on the AU to address the issue of unfair pay from Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) and digital platforms, and to push for stronger AU support in protecting the artists’ intellectual property. The statement represents a growing conversation around the issue of artistic rights across the continent. CMOs are bodies mandated to collect and distribute royalties on behalf of artists and are intended to ensure that creators receive appropriate compensation when their works are broadcast on radio or television, performed at public events, or streamed online. However, various Kenyan CMOs have in the past been accused of mismanagement, lack of transparency and underpayment to the artists they nominally represent.