Government has described the growth of Malawi’s creative industry as evidence of the sector’s potential to generate wealth and contribute to national development, following the Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA)’s disbursement of K1.8 billion in blank media levy royalties to artists.
Director of Arts in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Humphrey Mpondaminga, made the remarks in Lilongwe after COSOMA distributed the royalties to musicians, filmmakers and literary creators.
Mpondaminga said the payout demonstrated the industry’s growing economic contribution and aligned with the aspirations of Malawi 2063 to create wealth and promote self-reliance.
“The creative industry has demonstrated its ability to generate income, and government will continue supporting its growth because it contributes to national development,” he said.
COSOMA Executive Director Dora Makwinja said musicians received the largest share of the royalties, with K1 billion distributed to 2,975 artists, while literary creators received K519 million and filmmakers K259 million.
“This year’s distribution reflects the continued growth of the creative sector. We encourage artists to keep producing quality works and to use their platforms responsibly while protecting their intellectual property,” Makwinja said.
Film producer and actress Joyce Chavula, one of the beneficiaries, said the royalties were recognition of the effort artists invest in producing creative works.
“Receiving these royalties is encouraging because it shows that our hard work is being recognised and motivates us to continue creating quality productions,” she said.
Among the highest music royalty recipients were Phyzix, Onesimus, Zeze Kingston, Driemo, Kelly Kay and Saint.
The blank media levy is collected on storage devices capable of reproducing copyrighted works, including memory cards, blank CDs and DVDs. It is administered by COSOMA in partnership with the Malawi Revenue Authority to compensate creators for private copying of their works and strengthen copyright protection in Malawi.
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