THE Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (Zimura) has called for urgent reforms in the country’s music royalty system, bemoaning low payouts, policy challenges and structural inefficiencies that continue to undermine artistes’ earnings.
Speaking at the inaugural intellectual property rights workshop last week, Zimura leadership and regional partners raised concern over the country’s lagging royalty collections compared to other African nations.
In a keynote address, Zimura chairperson Alexio Gwenzi said the organisation was working towards building a “strategic roadmap” to improve revenue collection and distribution for music composers.
He acknowledged that internal disputes and negative publicity weakened the organisation’s image and affected compliance by clients.
“As a collective management organisation, our sector is exceptionally sensitive,” Gwenzi said.
“Negative publicity gives our clients an excuse to hesitate when it’s time to pay for licences or royalties.”
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The chairperson criticised some musicians for unrealistic expectations, noting that royalties are directly linked to the usage of their music.
“A royalty system is like a bank account. If no one makes a deposit, you cannot expect a withdrawal.”
The forum, held at Rainbow Towers, brought together government officials, artistes and regional copyright experts, including Composers, Authors and Publishers Association chief executive officer Jotam Matariro.
Matariro emphasised the need for Zimbabwe to embrace digital transformation and strengthen cross-border collaborations to ensure local artistes benefit from global music consumption.
“In the digital age, a song composed in Mbare is a global export,” he said.
“Our task is to ensure that the bridge between the creator and the global market is seamless, transparent and profitable.”
He added that intellectual property should be treated as a key economic asset contributing to national gross domestic product rather than just a creative pursuit.
Concerns were also raised over the existence of multiple collective management organisations in Zimbabwe, which stakeholders said was leading to “tariff undercutting” and significant revenue losses.
Zimura revealed that in one instance, a fast-food outlet paid US$46 000 to a rival collective management organisation instead of US$86 719 invoiced by the former, resulting in a US$40 000 loss.
The organisation further disclosed that it is owed over US$1 million in unpaid royalties by broadcasters, hotels and other music users across the country.
Additionally, a government directive halting royalty collection from cover bands was cited as another major setback.
Zimura appealed to authorities to review the policy, arguing that it unfairly deprives composers of income.
To address operational inefficiencies, the organisation announced plans to introduce a mobile application that allows artistes to upload music, track usage and receive royalty payments digitally.
Stakeholders also called for legislative reforms to compel international streaming platforms to pay royalties through a local collective management organisation and ensure that revenue generated in Zimbabwe benefits local artistes.
Matariro warned that without strong legal frameworks, Zimbabwe risks losing out in the rapidly evolving digital music economy.
“We must stop the capital flight of music royalties and ensure that Zimbabwean creators are fairly compensated for their work,” he said.
The forum concluded with calls for unity among artistes, government and industry players to strengthen the country’s collective management system and unlock the full economic potential of Zimbabwe’s creative sector.