The Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) requires businesses that play music in their premises to pay for music licenses.
Failure to pay music licensing fee attracts a fine not exceeding Ksh500,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding four years or both.
The licensing fee depends on the type of business size and location. Some of businesses that are required to pay music licensing fee include;
- Public Service vehicles
- Tuk-tuk and Motorcycles
- Hotels/Restaurants/Bars
- Television
- Radio
- Aircrafts
- Video Halls
- Nightclubs
- Deejays
- Concerts
- Roadshows
- Promotional activities
For public service vehicles, the amount varies depending on commercial use of the video. Company vehicles pay Ksh2,000 to play audio and Ksh2,500 for audiovisual.
Vehicles carrying 14 passengers pay Ksh7,000 for audio and Ksh10,500 for audio visual. A 15–35-seater pays Ksh14,200 for audio and Ksh17,200 for audio visual.
A 36-55-seater vehicle pays Ksh24,550 for audio and Ksh29,600 for audio visual. Any public vehicle carrying above 55 passengers pays Ksh30,700 for audio and Ksh36,550 for audio visual.
Motorcycles are charged Ksh300 per year while Tuk-tuks pay Ksh900 per year. While the amount is paid annually, the rates are calculated per day.
Hotels are charged per feet. The amount ranges between Ksh8 to Ksh 17 per feet depending on the type of hotel.
Commercial television pays Ksh150,000, noncommercial television Ksh50,000 and Community TV Ksh5,000. Licensing for TV is charged per month.
Radio just like TV pay monthly licensing fee. Depending on frequency scope and type of music played, radio stations pay between Ksh200,000 and Ksh700,000.
Aircrafts pay Ksh1,234 per seat for the first 50 seats, Ksh823 for the next 50 seats and Ksh504 per seat for over 100.
Video halls are charged a flat rate Ksh6,000 per year.
Nightclubs depending on size and location pay annual licensing fee of between Ksh58,500 and Ksh550,000.
Non resident deejays and veejays are required to pay Ksh15,000 licensing fee.
If you want to hold concerts, you can pay Ksh35,000 per day or a flat rate of Ksh400,000 per year.
For roadshows, MCSK charges Ksh30,000 per truck day or a flat rate of Ksh620,000 per year. The same fees apply to promotional activities.
MCSK says that money paid as license fee is used to benefit artists.
"We collect and distribute royalties for the exploitation of Performing and Reproduction rights of Authors (songwriters), Composers, Publishers and Arrangers of copyrighted musical works," states MCSK
