Nascam Addresses Concerns, Strives to Improve Royalties

The Namibian Society of Composers and Authors of Music (Nascam) faces a critical moment, with its media spokesperson, Knowledge Ipinge, and renowned artist J-Black offering contrasting views on the organisation’s accomplishments, obstacles and the pressing demand for enhanced royalty distribution.

Ipinge highlighted the board’s primary focus on comprehending Nascam’s state of affairs and addressing its strengths and weaknesses.

“Since the new board took office about a year ago, our chief focus has been on understanding the real state of affairs within Nascam through conducting in-depth reviews of the current systems and assessing the current strengths and weaknesses,” Ipinge said.

He further said: “Our key achievement over the past year is the development of standards regarding operations, policies and procedures to provide fair and equitable collective management society services to our members and licensees long-term.”

Nascam has scheduled an annual general meeting (AGM) during which, according to Ipinge, activities over the past years will be unpacked, including its accomplishments, challenges and plans.

ROYALTIES

Commenting on the organisation’s operations and the payment of royalties, a member of Nascam, J-Black, said: “I have more facts of what’s going on at Nascam than I have opinions.”

Reflecting on his long-standing support for Nascam, he said: “I’ve been working hard in the background for years, trying to always uphold the image of the organisation because I believed they always did what was right besides the unfortunate inefficient implementation of ideas we have suggested to them. So, I’m always on the side of Nascam as an organisation.”

However, J-Black raised a significant concern regarding the lack of royalty payments to artists.

“First, artists are not even being paid royalties. And maybe I will end it there as well,” J-Black said, adding: “They need to ask questions, probe and find out where their money is. […] Most artists are complaining that they have music playing on radio stations that do not pay for music, and that’s a huge problem on its own.”

In response to J-Black’s concerns, Ipinge acknowledged the importance of addressing the grievances of Nascam members.

“It is our duty as a board to find effective solutions to address the grievances of our members, and we highly appreciate the fact that they are keeping us on our toes and holding us accountable as their elected leaders,” Ipinge said.

Both Ipinge and J-Black emphasised the significance of artists taking their royalties seriously.

Ipinge invited Nascam members to the upcoming AGM “so that they can share with us their valuable inputs to guide the long-term sustainability of the society through implementing policies, procedures and a strategic plan to ensure that they start earning a deserved steady income from their royalties”.

J-Black said: “If artists do not take this seriously, then they have no idea of the magnitude in worth that is in music royalties.”

The concerns raised by J-Black align with Nascam’s mission to address the grievances of its members and ensure fair compensation. Nascam must intensify its efforts to streamline royalty distribution, address any inefficiencies and provide transparency to its members.

Artists also need to be proactive in understanding the collection and distribution processes while advocating for their rights.

The upcoming AGM is an opportunity for Nascam and its members to engage in constructive dialogue and work together towards sustainable solutions. By embracing the input and concerns of artists like J-Black,

Nascam can refine its operations and strengthen its commitment to supporting and protecting the rights of Namibian composers, songwriters and music publishers.
– unWrap.online