ZBC To Pay $600K+ To Local Artists

The national Broadcaster will soon pay local artistes over $600 000 in outstanding royalties, Sunday Mail reports. This was revealed by Broadcasting Minister Monica Mutsvangwa when she was launching Arts, Culture and Heritage Policy in Bulawayo. Mutsvangwa said:

I must say issues were raised pretty well, issues of royalty collecting and local content. ZBC owes a total of $600 000 as at 31 October 2019. That is for music royalties for our artistes, the royalties are calculated as a percentage of the corporation’s total advertising revenue.

The debt emanated from the accumulation of royalties due to ZBC’s liquidity challenges over the years, but thanks to the Minister of Finance (and Economic Development Professor Mthuli Ncube), we are actually starting with the 2020 budget, we have been given an opportunity of a grant. That will then allow ZBC to pay what is outstanding debt, and not just to pay what is outstanding, but to pay starting from here going forward

The Minister did not reveal the exact date the artistes will be paid.

More: Sunday Mail