Hotels, clubs and music schools are among a list of businesses that could face higher fees should the new proposed audiovisual tariffs sail through.
In a notice issued on Tuesday, August 12, the Performing and Audiovisual Rights Society of Kenya (PAVRISK) published the proposed consolidated music and audiovisual tariffs 2026–2028, which proposes changes in the royalty rates for businesses using copyrighted music.
Besides hotels and clubs, the proposed tariff changes could also affect bars, restaurants, cafes, road houses, lounges, eateries, taverns, and beer gardens.
Additionally, the levies will impact camps, cottages, furnished apartments, concerts and live shows, gyms, spas, retail showrooms, workshops, and supermarkets.
Among the proposed levies are Ksh20,000 for music schools using copyrighted music and a Ksh10,000 annual fee for bars, restaurants, cafes, road houses, lounges, eateries, taverns and beer gardens using licensed music.
The proposed Ksh10,000 fee is an increase of Ksh1000 from the previous Ksh9,000 payable annually by the aforementioned businesses through the Single Business Permit (SBP).
The proposal further seeks to introduce tariffs for motels, camps, cottages and furnished apartments using licensed music. Ksh200,000 annually for the lower tier and Ksh600,000 for the top tier establishments.
In the new proposed tariffs, mobile Disc Jockeys (DJs) will now be required to pay KSh20,000 annually to use copyrighted music.
In the vehicle category, trucks, trailers, lorries, and similar commercial vehicles will be required to pay Ksh4,000 annually to use licensed music, while 6 to 14-seater passenger vehicles required to pay Ksh5,500.
Similarly, 15 to 33-seater passenger vehicles will need to pay Ksh8,000 annually should the new proposal go through, while vehicles with 34 passengers and above pay Ksh12,000.
The proposal also introduces a Ksh1,000 fee for motorcycles using copyrighted music and a Ksh1500 levy for three-wheeler vehicles.
For a national television station to use copyrighted music, it will need to pay Ksh600,000, while a national radio station will be required to part ways with up to Ksh960,000 annually.
While announcing the tariff changes, the audiovisual rights society called on members of the public to review the proposal and provide their feedback.
Kenyans who seek to express their input were told to send their written comments to PAVRISK's official email or deliver them in person to the society's offices, which are located along the Argwings Kodhek Road in Nairobi.
