Musician Rufftone has protested the halting of Skiza and Hello tune payments to artistes by the High Court of Kenya.
Hon. Justice John Chigiti granted orders stopping the payment of revenues to CMOs, also known as Premium Rate Services (PRSPs), related to Safaricom and Airtel until the case is determined.
Safaricom and Airtel, two converged communication solutions providers in Kenya, pay royalties to Kenyan musicians who have registered with them for music sold through the Skiza and Hello Platforms, a service that allows subscribers to set their own ringtones.
Rufftone, well known for his “Mungu Baba” hit gospel song, has, in an interview, expressed his discontent on the halting of payment of call ringback tunes (skiza and hello tunes) due to the pending case in court by two artistes Justus Ngemu and Saul Esikuri, who filed a case against the Attorney General, the Cabinet Secretary responsible for the arts, and the Kenya Copyright Boardoard (KECOBO), contesting the ongoing payment of ringback tune proceeds to PRSPs in spite of the Copyright Act’s 2022 amendments mandating direct payment to artists.
He says that many artistes depend on this revenue of income to pay their mortgages, rental bills and even medical bills, among many others. Adding to that, he says that the creative individuals are the same as doctors, pilots and all other stakeholders who, when they have a case ongoing in court, do not have their salaries halted.
“Was the law created for man or man for law?“he asks. To this, Rufftone adds that the case can proceed in the manner it should but states that court cases take forever: “When will the payments resume if no one knows when the case will be heard and a conviction made?
“He says that artistes are just like other individuals, and holding their income just because of two individuals is not fair.
The “Mwikulu” artist has further said that he is very disappointed in how the government handles the creative individuals, terming the problem now to be “KECOBO”, which is the Kenya Copyright Board. Rufftone tells us that according to him, the problem solely lies with the government and cabinet secretary of youth, creative affairs and sports, not forgetting KECOBO.
Rufftone blames them for not taking the creative space, industry and individuals seriously. He adds that other countries like the United States, the United Kingdom and Jamaica, where their governments protect their local creative industries, backing them up and putting up laws that favour the growth of their industries, are thriving and doing well.
He circles back to Africa, where he names South Africa, Nigeria and Tanzania, telling from his visits that they primarily play their content and have laws that promote local artistry and creatives that we lack in Kenya.
“Place kama TZ; you go there you’ll mostly find people listening to Bongo songs, unlike in Kenya.”
“The Manyunyu” artists describe Kenya as a nation with potential from its entertainment industry, stating that ” Hata hao madancer hupokea watu airport is still part of our heritage.”
Calling out KECOBO as “one big toothless bulldog,“whose mandate is the overall administration and enforcement of copyright and related rights, which they are not performing, causing CMOs – Collective Management Organisations – to look like they are the problem, which they are not.
“The problem cannot be from the tip of the leaf of grass to the roots, but vice versa, which is the case we have today in the entertainment industry.
Rufftone further adds that the government needs to supervise, be serious and regulate the creative industry because it is one that generates and has potential of generating more revenue for the country by itself.
He also says that backlash against the artists who visited The Deputy president’s home is not necessary and they are not to be faulted or discriminated because they are fending for themselves as the government is not providing a conducive environment to work in. ” If they were economically sound, they would be nonpartisan.”
Rufftone, in his last words, applauded upcoming artists for their creativity, urging them to continue producing songs in their different creative ways asking them to register internationally with international creative bodies on top of registering locally.
He also cautioned against using gospel music to gain fame then transitioning to secular music, saying,” God cannot be manipulated. “He adds to that, ”Better a bank robber who accepts he is a thief than one comes to people claiming to be filled singing gospel songs with the aim of gaining fame.”
He gave us a parting shot answering the question of why he has been off the limelight: “I am working on something that will shake the world.”