Sauti Sol, Kenya’s leading boy band, has announced its decision to follow in rapper Nonini’s footsteps by withdrawing its membership from the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK). The group stated that the CMO (Collective Management Organization) no longer serves their best interests. This decision was made following the distribution of royalties to MCSK members on April 15, which saw lead singer Bien criticize the CMO for giving him only Sh14,634.
Sauti Sol has called on other disgruntled members to withdraw their membership from the society and take back their power. The band believes that MCSK should distribute no less than 70% of all royalties collected to its members and provide credible statements of account to that effect.
The group expressed its frustration with MCSK, stating that the organization always acts like it is doing Kenyan musicians a favor. They emphasized that the royalties collected are not the CMO’s direct income but the musicians’ income, and thus, the organization should work for the musicians’ benefit.
