VIDEO! ELANI EXPOSE MUSIC COPYRIGHT SOCIETY OF KENYA. WE ALSO HAVE THE MCSK'S RESPONSE

Through a viral video on Wednesday, ELANI disclosed that they stopped releasing new songs after realising that were being “conned” by MCSK. They accused MCSK officials of NOT paying their royalties.

The group took issue with the fact they were paid KSh31,000 as royalties in 2014, despite having at least five hit songs on constant rotation on our  local TV and radio stations. And if this indeed is true, then something needs to be done urgently, we cannot loose talent like that, our artists need to be motivated not robbed of what is rightfully theirs.

“After learning of this huge discrepancy, we went and got the log sheets from the broadcasters. But before we even initiated the process to compare the sheets with MCSK’s records, I received a phone call from them and told that the three of us would be get Sh100,000 each as compensation. It was so baffling,” group member Brian Chweya told Word Is during an interview.

 MCSK'S RESPONSE

In a move to defend itself, MCSK said that Elani failed to follow the due process in making its complaints, and that could trigger criminal investigations against them.
“When an artiste feels like his/her royalties were not adequately paid or compensated, they are supposed to write a letter to our finance committee to be forwarded to the board. The board then sits and gives an adequate determination to the matter. But Elani never did that,” MCSK chairman Bernard Mukaisi said in a telephone interview.

He added: “This is just a scheme hatched to paint some employees of the MCSK, including the CEO, in bad light. What was paid to Elani was the recommended amount by the board and their allegation can be a subject of criminal investigations if it’s found to be lies. They are just talking from an ignorant-point of view because they don’t even attend regional meetings where matters concerning the processes are addressed.”