Local artists not registering songs for royalties - Nascam

Namibian Society of Composers and Authors of Music (Nascam) interim board chairperson Joseph Ailonga says the main reason local artists don’t cash in on royalties is that many members fail to register their output.“The biggest issue why local artists are not paid out by Nascam is simply that most members do not notify their works in order to qualify for royalty payouts,” he told Namibian Sun this week.Ailonga said members wrongly assume that once a song is played on the radio, it is automatically registered with the society.“It is important that members notify Nascam for every song they create instead of assuming that a song is registered once it is on the radio, because they are losing money that way.”Ailonga was responding to questions about N$150 000 in undistributed royalties highlighted in the organisation’s 2024 financial report.The organisation declared a total gross payout of N$2.53 million, noting that 52% of the net amount was paid to international music societies.After statutory allocations, Nascam confirmed a net distributable amount of N$2.127 million. From the gross royalties, N$253 000, representing 10%, was allocated to the Members Social and Cultural Fund, while N$150 000 was set aside as undistributed royalties.The net distribution was shared between local Nascam members and international societies. International rights holders received N$1 098 462.68, accounting for 52% of the net amount, while N$1 028 537.02, or 48%, was distributed to local Namibian composers and authors.Ailonga said the membership department would soon publish details of unregistered works, allowing members to come forward and notify the society of their songs.Weak tracking systemsSome artists say they have lost confidence in the organisation, accusing it of poor transparency and weak monitoring systems.Fernando Carlos, founder of independent record label Y-not Records, said artists under the label never received royalties from their hit song 'Pretty Vibes', despite the track receiving extensive airplay on local radio stations.“We never received even one cent,” he said. “We went there to ask how they monitor whether our songs are being played on radio and how they count airplay, but we did not get proper answers,” he told Namibian Sun.He questioned Nascam's explanation that only a few radio stations pay royalties, arguing that stations that give a lot of airtime to local music, should contribute.“There’s no way a song can stay number one for months and nobody knows how many times it was played,” he said.Carlos also criticised a lack of a proper monitoring system, comparing Nascam to South Africa’s SAMRO, which he said digitally tracks songs whenever they are played.“It breaks artists’ morale because it feels like Nascam is not there for us,” he said.Greater transparencyNamibian rapper Pendukeni Andreas Sunday Shipushu, known as 'Sunny Boy', said he is concerned over declining royalty payments and a lack of transparency.“When we started making music, the royalties were okay and fairly high, but after a couple of years they just started going down, and I don’t understand why,” he said.“They could be fighting more for artists by demanding royalties from radio stations and helping combat bootlegging and piracy,” he said.The rapper said he still believes the organisation can do better with the right changes.“I believe Nascam can change with the right people in position and with more transparency,” he said. “At the end of the day, Nascam is our home. We are not just criticising it – we want to help it grow.”CDs, USBs still required for submissionAnother artist, who asked not to be named, said he had previously been contacted by the society to collect royalties but claimed the amount offered was too small.“So because the money was too low, I decided to let it sit for a while. That was about two years,” he said.“The other problem I know of is that Nascam’s submitting system is a bit outdated because we have to provide physical copies of our songs via CDs or USBs, which is a major inconvenience. It would make sense if we just had to upload the songs on a website.”He said the situation is even more difficult for artists living outside Windhoek.“This is a major problem, particularly for artists located outside the capital city, because to submit a song, one has to travel to Windhoek to physically submit one’s songs or album,” he said.According to Nascam’s official website, the organisation is mandated to collect royalties from music users in Namibia on behalf of composers, authors and publishers under the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Protection Act and the Berne Convention Treaty.Nascam says royalties are collected from broadcasters, telecommunications service providers, venues and businesses using background music systems through copyright licences and blanket licence agreements.nikanor@nmh-hub.com.na

Local artists not registering songs for royalties - Nascam

Comments

Namibian Sun 2026-06-17

Please login to leave a comment

Local artists not registering songs for royalties - Nascam

Comments

Namibian Sun 2026-06-17

Please login to leave a comment

Subscription Required to Access Content ×

Login

Subscription Required to Access Content