Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. THE Zimbabwe Council of Copyrights (Zicco) says it wants to correct long-standing injustices in the way royalties are distributed in Zimbabwe, especially among emerging and lesser-known artistes.
This comes as the council, which says it is seeking to advance equity and openness in Zimbabwe’s creative industry, declared that its members will start receiving a consistent royalty of US$50 from May 30.
Under the new system, which is based on general music usage, all registered members will get an equal income.
“This new model, effective from May 30, is a game-changer. It guarantees equitable sharing of royalties. Most of our collections come from general usage, where tracks are played randomly by businesses and event organisers. Therefore, until we have a detailed playlist-based system, we believe a flat-rate payment is the fairest approach,” Zicco chief executive officer Tafadzwa Masembura told NewsDay Life & Style.
To guarantee that members will receive benefits on schedule, Masembura said the council intended to distribute royalties twice this year, in May/June and November/December. In an environment where other collective management organisations are frequently accused of favouritism and opaque royalty schemes, he emphasised the importance of fair opportunity.
“Our members are comfortable with this payment structure. We operate on collective trust and no one should be short-changed for their contribution,” he said.
“It is imperative that artistes complete their paperwork. This enables us to thoroughly inspect the database and prevent errors or duplication in payouts.”
He urged artistes to their register on or before May 30, 2025, to be eligible for the upcoming disbursement.
“It’s crucial for artistes to finalise their documentation. This allows us to vet the database properly and avoid duplication or errors in payouts.”
Masembura cautioned against dual membership which compromises the integrity of the distribution process.
“We encourage loyalty to one organisation. Dual membership only creates confusion and undermines transparency. We know US$50 may seem small, but it’s a start. Our long-term vision includes building sustainable revenue streams and stronger partnerships to increase returns for our members,” he said.
With around 2 000 subscribers, Zicco is still in its early stages of expansion, but Masembura said its bold step towards uniform royalty distribution was not without criticism. He said this was a transitional model intended to benefit as many creators as possible until more advanced systems were in place.
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