Africa-Press – Lesotho. Artists and authors society, Lesotho Copyright Society of Authors and Artists (LESCOSAA) is gaining more members and vouches to ensure collection and receipt of royalties due to the country’s artists, authors and performers.
LESCOSAA, established to protect and promote local art, has on August 9 officially registered, and calls on fellow artists, writers and performers to join the society.
Among the first to register were president of the Lesotho Music Rights Association, Tšepang Makakole, and renowned ‘famo’ artist Mantša. “So far artists have come in large numbers, and some are still writing to us informing us that they are coming.
Immediately after their registration they gain membership and protection of the society. Therefore, we highly urge artists and authors to came and register because we will be protecting their work,” Senate Makara says.
One of the artists who is in the process of joining the society, Morena Sway, told Life&Style that the society is bound to help them a lot. Morena Sway says from now on they know their work is well taken care of, indicating that it has been ages that their work as artists was being underrated.
He says this will motivate them to realise even more in music as artists. LESCOSAA is a collective management organisation established by the Copyright Order of 1989 with the purpose of promoting and protecting the interests of author, artists and performers who registered as its members.
The society is further responsible for the collection and distribution of royalties and other remuneration accruing and due to its members in respect of their rights.
The various work which the society seeks to promote and protect include music and sound recording, film and audio-visual works, print and publishing dramatic and theatrical works on behalf of authors, artists and performers.
These works are protected by the sole fact of creation irrespective of the form, mode of expression or artistic merits of such work. The quality of the work is irrelevant under copyright laws as works are protected regardless of whether they can be judged as good or bad. The decisive factor is whether the work is original.
