By Durell Namasani
Popular audio producer Derrick Thom popularly known as Dkez Walker has asked the Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA) to be transparent and accountable in how it register artists and disburse royalties.
Walker was reacting to COSOMA’s recent disbursement of about K1.5 billion for blank media levy for the period of April 2024 to March 2025.
3,524 artists in various disciplines received different amounts of money from COSOMA but some are still not amused with the criteria being used to distribute the royalties.
Writing on his Facebook page, Walker who is also a lecturer at the Catholic University says despite registering his songs, COSOMA has been telling him that his information is not available in their system.
“It’s a real letdown to see your work being used everyday at almost every wedding, social gathering, open air events, sporting activities, and even political rallies in Malawi, yet the creator earns nothing, despite holding intellectual property rights,” he said.
Walker further says that time has come for those responsible for overseeing this system to be held accountable.
Dkez Walker is popular for producing beats for a number of well known songs including ‘Zowalirana’ and ‘Ipatse Moto’ which are mostly enjoyed in sporting events, weddings, political rallies and other social gatherings.
