A song goes viral, dominates playlists and becomes a favourite in nightclubs.
Fans sing along to every line, social media fills with clips, and the artist becomes the talk of the town.
Yet, when the excitement settles, one question remains: how much money has the music actually earned for its creator?
For some Tanzanian artistes, the answer remains frustratingly unclear.
Complaints about unpaid royalties, delayed payments and a lack of transparency continue to raise questions about how the music industry rewards those behind the hits.
Bongo Flava artiste Jaiva is among those who have voiced concerns about earnings from digital music.
He says he has not received online royalties from his songs, from Soup to Kautaka, despite their release and circulation.
‘Personally, since Soup, I have never received any royalties from my online sales, even up to Kautaka,’ he said in an interview, expressing frustration over what he described as changing explanations about the payments.
His experience highlights a wider concern among artistes: when their music generates revenue, can they track their earnings and establish whether they are receiving what they are owed?
The debate comes as the government prepares to distribute approximately Sh2 billion in royalties to artistes in November 2026, following an announcement by Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports Paul Makonda in September.
While the planned payout has raised hopes among creators, it has also renewed questions about whether Tanzania’s royalty system can deliver the transparency and accountability artistes have long demanded.
When popularity does not pay the bills
In today’s music industry, success is often measured by millions of views, streaming figures, radio airplay and crowds at live performances.
However, these indicators of popularity do not necessarily reveal how much revenue a song generates or how much ultimately reaches its creator.
Music royalties are payments made to rights holders when their copyrighted works are used commercially.
Depending on the circumstances, these earnings can come from broadcasting, public performances, streaming and other forms of music distribution.
In Tanzania, the Copyright Society of Tanzania (COSOTA) administers copyright-related services, including licensing and royalty collection and distribution within its mandate.
Digital music earnings, however, may follow different payment arrangements, with streaming platforms, distributors and record labels handling revenue according to their agreements with rights holders.
This distinction is important when examining Jaiva’s complaint because royalties collected through COSOTA do not necessarily cover the same income streams as payments from digital platforms.
Establishing why he says he has not been paid would require examining his distribution agreements, earnings statements and the parties responsible for handling his revenue.
For artistes, therefore, the frustration goes beyond receiving money.
It is also about understanding how their music is monitored, how earnings are calculated and where payments may be delayed or disputed.
A longstanding industry concern
These questions are not new to Tanzania’s music industry. In January 2022, COSOTA distributed Sh312.29 million to 1,123 artistes for 5,924 musical works, using revenue collected from seven radio stations.
The distribution attracted criticism from the Creative Industry Network Tanzania and Twaweza, which raised concerns about transparency, the selection of beneficiaries and the treatment of other creative professionals.
The criticism highlighted a persistent challenge: artistes need clear information about how music usage is recorded, how royalties are calculated and how beneficiaries are selected.
Without reliable records and transparent procedures, it becomes difficult for creators to establish whether the payments they receive accurately reflect the use of their work.
The challenge has become increasingly important as digital platforms allow Tanzanian music to reach audiences across different countries.
A song may generate revenue through several platforms and territories, making accurate ownership records, clear contracts and accessible payment statements essential to tracking earnings.
Can technology help?
Improved technology could help address some of the gaps in monitoring music usage.
During an October 2026 meeting with COSOTA, the Society of Music Advocacy (SOMA) discussed royalty collection, distribution, membership registration and licensing.
SOMA also reported that it was testing a digital system designed to identify songs played on radio stations, with official operation expected in 2027.
If implemented effectively, the system could improve radio-airplay monitoring and provide more reliable information for calculating royalties.
However, radio monitoring alone would not resolve every dispute involving streaming income, publishing rights or payments governed by private contracts.
Addressing these concerns also requires artistes to register their works, ensure songwriting credits are accurate, maintain release records and understand agreements with producers, labels and digital distributors.
Even so, the responsibility cannot rest on artistes alone. Organisations handling royalties must provide clear information about collections, deductions, payment calculations and procedures for resolving disputes.
Beyond the Sh2 billion payout
The planned November distribution offers an opportunity to strengthen confidence in the system, but its success will ultimately depend on how transparently the money is allocated and whether artistes can understand the payments they receive.
For emerging musicians in particular, unclear contracts and incomplete ownership records can complicate efforts to claim earnings long after a song has been released.