In a comprehensive overview of the Namibian Society of Composers and Authors of Music (Nascam), both the perspective of Nascam’s media spokesperson, Knowledge Ipinge, and the concerns raised by artist J-Black shed light on the organization’s achievements, challenges, and the imperative need for improved royalty distribution. Ipinge, speaking as the media spokesperson, highlighted the board’s primary focus on comprehending Nascam’s current 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 explained.
He further stated, “Our key achievement over the past year is the development of standards in regards to operations, policies and procedures to provide fair and equitable collective management society (CMO) services to our members and licensees long term.”
Regarding the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM), Mr. Ipinge stated, “The upcoming AGM will unpack our activities over the past years in detail, including accomplishments, challenges, and plans for the future.”J-Black, a member of Nascam, expressed his opinions and concerns regarding the organization’s operations and the payment of royalties.
“I have more facts of what’s going on at Nascam than I have opinions; that’s the first thing,” J-Black emphasized. Reflecting on his long-standing support for Nascam, he stated, “I have been working hard in the background for years trying to always uphold the image of the organization 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 organization.”
However, J-Black raised a significant concern regarding the lack of payment of royalties to artists. “Firstly, artists are not even being paid royalties. And maybe I will end it there as well,” J-Black voiced his frustration. He added, “They need to ask questions, probe and find out where their money is… most artists complaining have music 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, Mr. 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,” Mr. Ipinge assured.
Both Mr. Ipinge and J-Black emphasized the significance of artists taking their royalties seriously. Mr. Ipinge extended an invitation to Nascam members, stating, “I would like to invite all Nascam members to attend the upcoming AGM in numbers 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 passionately added,
“If artists do not take this seriously, then they have no idea 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, addressing any inefficiencies and providing transparency to its members.
Simultaneously, artists need to be proactive in understanding the collection and distribution processes while advocating for their rights.The upcoming AGM serves as a pivotal 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.
