Rwandan CMO continues fight for music royalties

This development comes after The New Times reported on 26 August that the Rwanda Music Federation (RMF) had filed a case with the RIB against public broadcasters, hotels and bars over non-payment of royalties owed to musicians.

RMF head Jean de Dieu Tuyisenge told the local publication that the decision to go the legal route came after the parties could not come to an agreement after numerous meetings. 

Martin told Music In Africa that the legal framework surrounding royalty payments was sound, but that compliance was a concept that many consumers of musical works were yet to understand.

"The RMF has played its role in convincing music users about why they should pay the artists royalties," he said. "But now that they are not taking action, government reinforcement is needed. Consumers should not be forced to pay royalties. One of the biggest lesson for the creative industry during this pandemic is that there is no life without music or any other form of art."

The RSAU has been pushing for users of copyrighted music to comply since 2016. But this has been met with resistance. In July 2017, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) introduced tariffs determining how much businesses and broadcasters would be required to pay for music consumption. Hotels and restaurants with between zero and two stars are required to pay about $1 800 annually whereas those above two stars are required to pay more. Commercial, sponsored and community radio and TV stations are charged between about $300 and $4 000 per year.

Close says if full compliance is achieved, it would significantly benefit artists. However, he argues that forcing broadcasters to pay royalties could see them opt for cheaper international content, leaving local artists struggling for airtime.

"Compliance is mandatory. But this decision should not be rushed based on the current economic situation arising from the pandemic, which has taken a toll on all sectors. The local media is currently struggling due to reduced advertisements. They may be forced to abandon playing music and end up failing to come up with affordable programmes that are not interesting to the audience and simultaneously lose viewership," he said.