The Kenya Copyright Board has asked musicians to be careful while doing business with aspirants for political offices.
In a statement Kecobo said;
"During this period aspirants for political office will be seeking to leverage the medium of music as an effective tool of political mobilizations.
As such, they have or will be commissioning campaign songs or engaging musicians to perform at their rallies."
Adding;
From previous experience, at the end of the campaign, many musicians remain frustrated and unpaid.
Some musicians lose completely as they cannot sue since there is no evidence of a contractual relationship with their principals, most of whom retreat from the public after the campaigns.
Kecobo has given four key tips on how to avoid being frustrated and unpaid after working for political aspirants;
a. That musician should negotiate the terms of their services preferably with lawyers in all cases to ensure that they enter written contracts with the politicians.
b. Insist on cash before delivery of commissioned songs or even payment of a sizeable deposit before the production of commissioned work.
c. Avoid the sharing of the commissioned recordings over social media platforms for any reason before payment is made; and
d. Ensure they receive full payment before any live performance."
