Malawi Artists Calls for COSOMA Audit Amid Allegations of Favoritism and Self-Enrichment

A storm is brewing in Malawi’s music industry as more artists voice frustration over the Copyright Society of Malawi’s (COSOMA) handling of royalties, accusing the body of favoritism, lack of transparency, and even self-enrichment.

Lilongwe-based female dancehall artist Kellie Devine Njuchi recently sparked debate after revealing that she received only K30,000 from COSOMA for her collaboration with Afro-pop star Driemo on the hit track Better, despite the song’s wide popularity as it has event surpassed 1.9 Million views on YouTube.  She lamented that producers often make more money than the artists themselves, and that COSOMA mistakes musicians’ silence for consent. “Your producer is making more money on your song, while you, the artist, are given K30,000. Really guys? Are you serious?” Njuchi wrote on Facebook, using the hashtag #AuditCOSOMA.

Her sentiments echo those of Blantyre-based hip-hop artist IKK, who recently claimed he received only K179,000 while other artists such as Zeze Kingston, Saint, and Eli Njuchi reportedly earned millions. IKK accused COSOMA of favoritism in its disbursement of funds.

Adding his voice to the growing chorus, veteran gospel artist Faith Mussa took to his Facebook wall to raise concerns over alleged conflicts of interest at the society. He questioned reports that three Cosoma Board Members have each pocketed 19.5M, 20M, and 16M respecively from the Cosoma Copyright Fund;that brings their combined sums to 55.5M while many struggling artists could not even afford basic studio fees.

“Koma Zinazi sizoona guys. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t even think I, as Faith Mussa, deserve that money. There are young artists who need it more but can’t even afford studio time. But a board member awarding themselves? No, not in a struggling music industry like ours. How many of you are there? And some of you, when was the last time you even released music? That’s a conflict of interest!” he wrote.

The mounting concerns have fueled renewed calls for an independent audit of COSOMA, with many artists demanding urgent reforms to restore trust and ensure fair distribution of royalties in Malawi’s music industry.