Artist Bien Reveals Why He Declined Collecting his Royalties from MCSK: “I Saw No Point in Collecting Ksh.1500”
Written by moradio on 29 February 2024
NAIROBI, Kenya, February 29- Esteemed vocalist Bien-Aime Baraka disclosed that he declined an invitation from the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) to collect his owed royalties due to the organisation’s track record of distributing minimal amounts to artists.
“The MCSK reached out to me to retrieve my check, but I informed them that I am aware of the small sums they disburse to artists, so I saw no point in collecting Ksh.1500,” revealed Bien.
During an interview on the Iko Nini Podcast, the acclaimed singer revealed that despite MCSK’s persistent attempts to persuade him to collect his dues, he refused due to their reluctance to disclose the amount they intended to pay suspecting it to be insufficient.
He added that the society has yet to inform him of ‘the undisclosed amount’. “I requested the MCSK to reveal the sum they expected me to collect to gauge whether it warranted my time, but they declined,” said Bien.
He alleged that MCSK intended to use him as a publicity stunt to demonstrate that artists were receiving their dues, despite the amount being meager.
“You want me to come so you can turn me into a token and claim artists were paid, yet in essence, you know this collection is insignificant,” asserted the artist.
“The MCSK should be led by technocrats who understand the music industry and administration. That’s the only way it can function,” noted Bien.
He also criticized the lack of accountability within MCSK, advocating for the establishment of mechanisms to assess its achievements and shortcomings to ensure its efficiency.
Additionally, Bien applauded Hubert Nakitare, also known as Nonini, for speaking out against Collective Management Organizations (CMOs), including MCSK, for misappropriating artists’ funds.
