Ent. & Lifestyle
Weasel’s sh285,498 royalty payment sparks debate
The singer took to Instagram to share a screenshot of an Airtel Money transaction receipt confirming the payment, which represented his accumulated royalties over the past 12 months.
Singer Weasel Manizo performing on stage. (File photo)
By: Ranell Dickson Nsereko, Journalist @New Vision
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Weasel Manizo (real name Douglas Mayanja) has stirred debate about the state of music royalties in the country after revealing that he earned only sh285,498 in royalties from the Uganda Performing Rights Society (UPRS) for an entire year.
The singer took to Instagram to share a screenshot of an Airtel Money transaction receipt confirming the payment, which represented his accumulated royalties over the past 12 months.
Accompanying the post was a sarcastic caption describing the payout as the "best cheque ever," before adding that the amount was proof Uganda "still has a long way to go to have systems which function."
His page managers also weighed in, arguing that if an iconic act like Radio & Weasel receives such a modest payout, then upcoming artists face an even greater challenge in earning a living from their music.
The payment forms part of UPRS' latest royalty distribution exercise, in which the collecting society announced it would distribute sh216m in royalties through mobile money and bank transfers to about 4,500 registered members.
However, UPRS Board Chairman and President Yoyo says the public should understand how music royalties are calculated before drawing conclusions.
The payment forms part of UPRS' latest royalty distribution exercise, in which the collecting society announced it would distribute sh216m in royalties through mobile money and bank transfers to about 4,500 registered members.
However, UPRS Board Chairman and President Yoyo says the public should understand how music royalties are calculated before drawing conclusions.
According to Yoyo, the sh285,498 paid to Weasel does not represent earnings from music owned solely by the singer.
"Weasel is not the only owner of the music. The royalties are shared with Radio and also with Washington, who produced many of the songs," Yoyo explained.
He further noted that a significant portion of the Radio & Weasel catalogue was acquired by music distributors, including Kasiwulira, meaning the revenue generated from those songs is distributed among multiple rights holders rather than going to Weasel alone.
Yoyo also revealed that Weasel may be missing out on additional earnings because his registered music catalogue with UPRS appears to be outdated.
"He also needs to check the catalogue of music he registered with UPRS. He needs to update it so that he can be paid for more of his works. It has probably been more than 10 years since Weasel last came to UPRS to update his catalogue," he said.
"Weasel is not the only owner of the music. The royalties are shared with Radio and also with Washington, who produced many of the songs," Yoyo explained.
He further noted that a significant portion of the Radio & Weasel catalogue was acquired by music distributors, including Kasiwulira, meaning the revenue generated from those songs is distributed among multiple rights holders rather than going to Weasel alone.
Yoyo also revealed that Weasel may be missing out on additional earnings because his registered music catalogue with UPRS appears to be outdated.
"He also needs to check the catalogue of music he registered with UPRS. He needs to update it so that he can be paid for more of his works. It has probably been more than 10 years since Weasel last came to UPRS to update his catalogue," he said.