CAPE TOWN: A group of local artists from Khayelitsha converged at Isivivana to attend a Music Industry Empowerment Workshop coordinated by Music 101 Indaba. Music 101 is a nonprofit organisation working with people in the entertainment industry to educate and empower them about their rights.
The event was also attended by members from the South African Music Performance Rights Association (Sampra) to educate artists about their rights. Sampra is a nonprofit company that issues licences to music users, and collects, manages, and distributes royalties.
Educating artists on music rights
Mthethel Stafans from Music 101 described the event as an eye-opener to many artists. He said they decided to use the platform to educate local artists about their rights.
“We want musicians to take music as a business, not only as a hobby. We want them to monetise their performances. They must be able to survive off it,” he said, adding that many artists die poor because they didn’t register their music. Explaining the importance of registering their songs, Stafans said that once registered, no one can take the music and make money out of it without the artist’s consent.
Why registering your music matters
“Whatever part or input you had in a song, you must get paid. There must be a certain percentage of the amount that you receive. Even entertainment establishments (social places) and disc jockeys (DJs) need to be registered to play our music, because what they are playing is someone’s work,” he explained, adding that once an artist hears his or her song playing at a social place, they have the right to inform Sampra to demand that the DJ or social place pay.
SAMPRA encourages artists to take craft seriously
Siziphiwe Majija from Sampra said it is high time for artists to take their craft seriously and benefit from it. She encouraged them to ensure that their work is not plagiarised.
“The registration is free of charge. We encourage everyone to ensure that their work is registered under his or her name,” said Majija.
Local artist vows to register his work
One of the hip hop artists, Lisakhanya Ntiyantiya, who is affectionately known as ‘Madness CPT’ in the music industry, said he learned a lot at the workshop. He said he was not aware of some of the information. “We take some of these things for granted. I’ve been in the industry for almost a decade as an underground hip hop artist. I have never registered any of my work. I think I need to take my craft seriously. We need these kinds of initiatives in our communities,” said Madness CPT. He said as artists they are planning to form a forum for themselves.
