The Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA) has disbursed MK1.8 billion in royalties to 3,594 musicians, filmmakers and literary workers under this year’s Blank Media Levy Distribution, in what officials describe as one of the clearest demonstrations yet of the growth of Malawi’s creative economy.

The payout was presented on Monday in Lilongwe, with musicians receiving the lion’s share of MK1 billion, filmmakers collecting MK259 million, and writers and other literary creatives sharing MK519 million.

COSOMA Executive Director Dora Makwinja said 2,975 musicians benefited from this year’s distribution, with top artists on the payout list including Saint, Driemo, Kell Kay, Zeze Kingston, Phyzix, Lucius Banda, Skeffa Chimoto, Patience Namadingo, Eli Njuchi and Onesmus.

She added that 177 filmmakers and 622 literary workers also received their share of the royalties, bringing the total number of beneficiaries across all creative sectors to 3,594.

“This demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting intellectual property rights, rewarding creativity and contributing to the growth of the creative economy,” Makwinja said.

She also used the occasion to caution artists against spreading false information about COSOMA’s operations, urging beneficiaries and industry players to engage the Society directly on any concerns rather than rely on rumours.

Speaking at the same event, Director of Arts in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Humphreys Mpondaminga, said the size of the payout reflected the steady expansion of Malawi’s creative industries.

“The creativity has to be protected and rewarded. And the MK1.8 billion shows the growth of the sector and the commitment of the association to protect it,” Mpondaminga said.

The Blank Media Levy is a form of compensation paid to creators for the private copying of their copyrighted works. It is collected by COSOMA in collaboration with the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), levied on the importation of storage devices capable of copying music, films, books and other protected works — such as blank CDs, DVDs, memory cards and similar media.

The mechanism is designed to ensure that creators are compensated for the informal, private reproduction of their work that copyright law would otherwise be unable to police directly, and forms one of COSOMA’s key revenue streams for royalty distribution alongside licensing fees collected from broadcasters, public performance venues and other users of copyrighted content.