In picture from left Mr Patrick Quarcoo, Chief Executive Officer ,Radio Africa Group , Mr Ephantus Wahome, Chairman PRISK, Mr Anthony Karani , Chairman KAMP, Mr. Chinasa Udeala, General Manager, Songa, Mr Japheth Kassanga, Chairman MCSK and Ms Angela Ndambuki, Vice Chairperson, KAMP

The Kenya Association of Music Producers (KAMP), Performers Rights Society of Kenya (PRISK) and Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) have today signed a Licensing Agreement with Songa Music streaming services.

The above (CMOs) have been licensed by the Kenya Copyright Board to collect and distribute royalties to owners of Copyright and related works for the year 2019 and will offer a single licence for the use of Musical works and Sound Recordings.

Under the Agreement, Songa has been granted access to the three CMOs catalogues of works. This is an important development that will see the works of the members of the three society’s feature in the Songa streaming App.

Under the Agreement Songa, which is charged with overseeing and coordinating the music streaming platform, will work closely with KAMP, PRISK & MCSK to develop synergies to support Kenya’s creative industry.

The three Chairmen, Mr. Anthony Karani (KAMP), Mr. Ephantus Wahome, (PRISK) & Mr. Japheth Kassanga (MCSK) said that partnership is key to unlocking the significant potential of Kenya’s Music sector and its through such collaborations and partnerships that give musicians an opportunity to have their music hosted on the platform that is accessed by millions of Kenyans.

This new agreement is a big step towards licensing in Kenya and ensuring rights holders get remunerated whenever their works get exploited on digital platforms.

The Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) has today issued licenses to three collective management organizations to collect copyright and related works license fees.

The three include Kenya Association of Music Producers (KAMP), Performers Rights Society of Kenya (PRISK) and Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK).

The issuance of the licenses was welcomed news by the Chairmen of the three Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) who were present at KECOBO to receive the licenses today at the Kenya Copyright Board offices.

Kenya Copyright Board Executive Director, Mr. Edward Sigei presented the licenses to the Chairmen of the three CMOs represented by Mr.Anthony Karani, KAMP, Ephantus Wahome, PRISK and Mr. Japheth Kassanga, MCSK.

 “The three CMOS had fulfilled all the conditions set by the Regulator and going forward they are expected to collect and issue licenses jointly.

The three CMOs have signed a commitment document that shows that they have agreed to distribute 70 percent of revenues collected.

The three CMO chairmen wish to thank the Kenya Copyright Board and the office of the Attorney General for the tremendous support accorded them towards ensuring that the rights of Authors, composers, publishers, producers and performers are upheld despite the challenges. “With this good news it is our hope that the confusion that has been witnessed since the beginning of the year especially from users of works will soon come to an end. We are ready to hit the ground running and we can finally issue one Joint license,” said Anthony Karani, Chairman of KAMP.

With the advent of joint licensing, users of works will now be able to pay for a single license. Mr, Karani envisages many benefits among reduced operation costs at all levels, and increased payouts to members.

Chairman of PRISK, Mr. Ephantus Wahome, expressed confidence in the three CMOs working together and being able to deliver to the artists, in a timely, efficient and seamless manner. “We are grateful to God and excited that the journey to collection has started. We request all users to comply so that copyright owners can benefit for the use of their works,” he said.

MCSK Chairman, Mr. Japheth Kassanga, said, “The relationship between KAMP, PRISK and MCSK represents a powerful opportunity for CMOs to significantly expand their presence in Kenya. MCSK over the past years has demonstrated its ability and willingness to work together and to use its resources and expertise to get more users to comply. We’re excited to partner with KAMP and PRISK as we focus our combined energies on serving our members and rights holders and to fight and protect their interests. We have a new Board in place, which was one of the conditions that had to be met in order for MCSK to get a license. I want to assure our members that we are on the right path to getting MCSK adhere to good corporate governance.”

And also to be rolled out as per the meeting held between the three CMOs, is a digital system that will enhance licensing and ensure precise distribution of royalties. “We remain committed to implementing the new joint licensing tariffs. We will be calling for proposals for the acquisition of a new digital licensing system that will enable rights users to pay for and get their license online,” he added.

The tendering and expression of interest for the digital licensing system is expected to be done on Friday 22^nd March 2019 with details and specifications of the requirements made available on the respective CMOs websites.

Also present during the meeting were Chief executive officers of KAMP, Mr. Clifford Wefwafwa Mabele, Mr. Joseph Njagih, PRISK and Ms. Milka Kulati, Acting CEO of MCSK.

“Today’s announcement is another solid step in our journey to work together. The last couple of years have been very disruptive to the music industry in Kenya and we hope that this being a new beginning, with Joint Licensing Operations. KAMP has retained their licenses for the 10^th year and with the issuance of these licenses by the regulator shows good will and is a clear reflection of the numerous efforts by the CMOs and other stakeholders to pursue a joint licensing system.  This partnership will help us fully deliver on our mandates and responsibilities. We are very capable of working together in order to protect and get value for our rights holders. We would also like to notify all Users of Copyright and Related Rights, i.e. broadcasters, telecommunication companies, restaurants, shops, business premises, vehicles, etc. that things are easier now and it’s time for them to comply,” said Clifford Wefwafwa, Chief Executive Officer of KAMP.

“The Kenyan creative industry has a very big potential. I can’t imagine life without music or some form of dramatic works. I take this opportunity to thank the Attorney General of the Republic of Kenya, Hon. Paul Kihara and Mr. Edward Sigei. The duo has worked tirelessly to ensure that there is sanity in the creative Industry and that the right CMO representative(s) is licensed. I’m sure that this newly found joint engagement will go a long way in reducing costs of operations and thus increase on the amounts available for distribution. To the users, kindly support artists by way paying for copyright and related rights license for use their works. This is an integral part of the economy that we can’t afford to kill,” added Joseph Njagi, CEO, PRISK.

The Kenya Association of Music producers (KAMP) has appointed Angela Ndambuki as the Vice Chairperson to the company's Board of Directors for a period of 3 years effective immediately.

Commenting on her appointment, Angela said, “I am honoured to be appointed as vice-chairperson of KAMP. It gives me the opportunity to share my experiences and help grow the organisation. I believe there are huge opportunities for the organisation and I look forward to working with the Board and management team to strengthen our position in the copyright industry for the benefit of all our members.”

Angela Ndambuki is a highly accomplished, results-oriented executive with several years of experience and vast knowledge in strategic decision making and leadership. She holds a Master of Law in Intellectual property Law from University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi.

Most recently, she was the Chief Executive Officer at Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) where she provided visionary leadership, coordinated programs and activities for the organization and advanced relations with the government, stakeholders and the donor community. Her passion for intellectual property saw her secure collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) on Intellectual Property Rights advancement in the business community through training and creation of an IP Policy. Her hard work and resilience saw her nominated as a member of the Advisory Panel for the UK based African Financial & Economic Crimes Academy to tackle financial and economic crime in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Previously, she served as the Chief Executive Officer at Performers Rights Society of Kenya (PRISK) where she was nominated by WIPO in collaboration with the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) as a Speaker in the sub-regional meeting in Zimbabwe on Economic Impetus in the Creative Industries. She also facilitated the implementation of the first local monitoring and distribution software for collective management of neighboring rights in Sub-Saharan Africa and successfully steered PRISK to become the first African CMO to member of the international performers rights societies umbrella body; SCAPR in 2014. She has won numerous awards including the prestigious CEO Global Awards, 2015 Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government in the Category of Welfare and Civil Society Organizations, Top 40 under 40 Women 2017 and listing as 100 most Reputable Africans by Reputation Poll. She also sits as a board member of the Machakos County Entertainment Centre for Film, Media, Music and the Arts

Commenting on the appointment, former chairman Japheth Kasanga said, "Ms Ndambuki brings a very strong track record of delivering above and beyond results for herself and her teams and comes to KAMP with extensive relationships and knowledge of strategic and collective management. We are confident that her background and knowledge will contribute immensely to our growth and success in the industry.’’