Bebe Cool
Moses Ssali aka Bebe Cool has appreciated the Uganda Musicians Association (UMA) for engaging with the Ugandan government as a way of going by the challenges currently faced by musicians in the country. In a Facebook post made earlier today, he advised every musician to join the association because it represents you as an individual well as the other associations represent just the music.
Bebe Cool says; “The UGANDA musicians association (UMA) has started its work well and I think engaging government, pointing out where the actual problems are, sitting on the table to express dissatisfaction, suggesting solutions, working with government is the best way to solve most of our challenges. Dialogue is key to solving challenges. I therefore call on all the Ugandan musicians to join UMA.
Please take note of the difference between UMA and other associations, UMA represents the musician (THE PERSON) while the other associations represent our music (THE WORKS).Therefore all musicians need UMA because it stands to protect our interests when it comes to government implementation of regulations and also QUESTION or demand for accountability from the associations that use/collect royalties on our behalf.
Thank you UMA president Sophie Gombya, vice president Ykee Benda and team.
Thank you president M7”
Through a delegation, the musicians under this association listed a number of problems they are facing including the government’s failure to implement the copyright law, the large amount of money spent hosting foreign musicians in the country to perform for just one day, and the limited compensation from telecom companies when their songs are used as caller tunes.
According to the speaker of parliament honourable Rebbeca Kadagga, the musicians claim that telecom companies get 80 percent of the money gotten from the caller tunes, and the owner of the song gets less than 10 percent. She added that musicians are complaining of loyalties paid to an association called the Uganda Performing Rights Society which they have no access to.
Honourable Kadaga assures musicians that she will be writing to the ministry of justice so that it can look at the need for the regulation of the copyright law so that they can be assisted. “I promise to address this situation and help musicians to grow and feel really Ugandan” adds Kadaga.
Meanwhile the artiste is set to be the entertainment headliner at the 3rd Canadian diaspora business expo and convention set to take place from June 29th to july 1st in Canada Toronto and he is already there. The expo will include events like a business breakfast, education and tourism expo, a community town hall, national ID and citizenship registration, fashion and comedy and a Red carpet Gala dinner.