John Kay the writer

CREATING. PROTECTING. OWNING. 🇺🇬🎶 The future of Uganda’s music industry belongs to creators who not only create great music, but also understand, protect and own the value of their work. We joined songwriters and other industry stakeholders at an important engagement hosted by the Songwriters Association of Uganda (SWAU), one of the member associations of the Uganda National Musicians Federation (UNMF). The conversation went beyond simply writing songs and discussed songwriting as literary work, copyright, ownership, publishing, royalties and the business behind creativity, because a song is not just art; it is also intellectual property capable of creating income and building a legacy for generations. I appreciate the different institutions that contributed to this important conversation: Uganda Reproduction Rights Organisation (URRO) for its partnership and perspective on reproduction rights; Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) for taking creators through copyright law and the amendments; Makerere University for bringing the academic perspective; and UNMF for continuing to advance awareness on the Copyright Management System (CMS) and the broader effort to strengthen copyright management in Uganda. Most importantly, I thank the Songwriters Association of Uganda for organizing this engagement, and every songwriter and creative who showed up to learn, share experiences and strengthen our industry. As creators, we must increasingly understand that writing a song is only the beginning. We must know who owns it, how it is registered, how it is licensed, how it generates royalties, and how those rights can be protected. Your words. Your music. Your rights. Your legacy. Let us create, protect, own, publish and earn from our creativity. Edrisah Kenzo Musuuza President, Uganda National Musicians Federation (UNMF) @JohnKayWriter @unmfederationug @martinbetalife @StateHouseUg @URSBHQ @Mglsd_UG @Makerere #Songwriters #MusicBusiness #Copyright #CreatorsRights #SWAU #UgandaMusic #UNMF #URRO #URSB #CopyrightManagementSystem #CMS #MusicPublishing #CreativeEconomy

The same Parliament of Ug that in 2023 quickly passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act(but …nwyz let me not insinuate on what exactly is hpng) has now passed the Copyright Amendment Bill and I’m seeing many artists celebrating already😭😭😭, but the truth is it has never really been about having laws because Ug already has many laws that are not enforced, corruption still exists, and artists have never fully benefited even from the old copyright system, so this new law alone changes nothing unless there is real enforcement, fairness, and proper systems in place, otherwise it is just another law on paper.

No matter what is involved in the amended copyright act, our musicians will remain poor, and they will continue to beg. They actually have more problems to address 😏

Ugandan musicians invest millions producing music and shooting videos, yet we still have to pay radio stations, TV stations and bloggers just to promote our own work. Clause 9 of the Copyright Amendment simply guarantees that when our music is played, artists are paid. If Clause 9 is removed, then this amendment defeats its purpose and the creative industry will continue bleeding. I call upon all musicians to speak up and defend our rights. To government, we ask for fairness. It’s time to do the right thing. #Clause9 #ProtectUgandanMusic

Ugandan musicians invest millions producing music and shooting videos, yet we still have to pay radio stations, TV stations and bloggers just to promote our own work. Clause 9 of the Copyright Amendment simply guarantees that when our music is played, artists are paid. If Clause 9 is removed, then this amendment defeats its purpose and the creative industry will continue bleeding. I call upon all musicians to speak up and defend our rights. To government, we ask for fairness. It’s time to do the right thing. #Clause9 #ProtectUgandanMusic

Should Creatives Be Worried? Reflections on the Copyright Bill Debate. Parliament debated the Copyright Amendment Bill 12.03.26 during its 2nd reading, & the discussion raised several concerns. 1-The Rt. Hon. Speaker AAA asked why radio stations like her own mama bukedea should pay royalties to creators (artists) yet the stations are already promoting their work by playing their music. 2-Another MP argued that artists themselves often pay DJs and media hosts to promote their music, questioning why radio stations should still be required to pay royalties. 3-One submission called for a cost benefit analysis of the bill to clearly show what Artists stand to gain or lose if the law is passed. 4-Concerns were also raised about artists who may want their music promoted for free without media houses paying royalties. Dont they have liberty to choose? 5-Another MP argued that once an artist releases their music, it becomes public, and therefore people should be free to use it however way they wish without payment. 6-A further suggestion was that if artists want this bill passed, government should also begin taxing their revenue & income from public performances sighting zero tax compliance yet they want to be paid. The debate was eventually cut short due to a lack of quorum. However, a few observations stood out: 1-The debate focused mainly on music, overlooking the wider creative industries that copyright laws protect. 2-Some MPs seemed unaware that copyright protection is already a global standard for safeguarding creators’ rights. 3-It is unclear whether the proposed amendment was benchmarked against international markets with established copyright systems, since it does not introduce a new concept. 4-what Should be be the middle ground between media owners and creatives Without strong copyright protections, creatives may continue depending on occasional government support instead of earning sustainable income from their intellectual property. So i ask: should creatives be worried yet or you sense good will of passing the copyright amendment law? Dear creatives Watch👇🏻 Lets discuss. #NBSAfter5 Video credit : @ubctvuganda

Should Creatives Be Worried? Reflections on the Copyright Bill Debate. Parliament debated the Copyright Amendment Bill 12.03.26 during its 2nd reading, & the discussion raised several concerns. 1-The Rt. Hon. Speaker AAA asked why radio stations like her own mama bukedea should pay royalties to creators (artists) yet the stations are already promoting their work by playing their music. 2-Another MP argued that artists themselves often pay DJs and media hosts to promote their music, questioning why radio stations should still be required to pay royalties. 3-One submission called for a cost benefit analysis of the bill to clearly show what Artists stand to gain or lose if the law is passed. 4-Concerns were also raised about artists who may want their music promoted for free without media houses paying royalties. Dont they have liberty to choose? 5-Another MP argued that once an artist releases their music, it becomes public, and therefore people should be free to use it however way they wish without payment. 6-A further suggestion was that if artists want this bill passed, government should also begin taxing their revenue & income from public performances sighting zero tax compliance yet they want to be paid. The debate was eventually cut short due to a lack of quorum. However, a few observations stood out: 1-The debate focused mainly on music, overlooking the wider creative industries that copyright laws protect. 2-Some MPs seemed unaware that copyright protection is already a global standard for safeguarding creators’ rights. 3-It is unclear whether the proposed amendment was benchmarked against international markets with established copyright systems, since it does not introduce a new concept. 4-what Should be be the middle ground between media owners and creatives Without strong copyright protections, creatives may continue depending on occasional government support instead of earning sustainable income from their intellectual property. So i ask: should creatives be worried yet or you sense good will of passing the copyright amendment law? Dear creatives Watch👇🏻 Lets discuss. #NBSAfter5 Video credit : @ubctvuganda