KAMPALA, Uganda: The government is set to launch the much-anticipated Copyright Management System (CMS), which will register musicians’ works and track their usage in public spaces to ensure artists are paid for their work, a development expected to significantly curb music piracy.
The announcement was made on 7 January 2026 by the State Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development (Culture), Peace Regis Mutuuzo, while addressing a press conference at the Media Centre.
The minister was flanked by officials from various industry players, including Charles Batambuze, Executive Director of the Reproduction Rights Organisation and Vice Chairperson of the National Culture Forum (NCF), representatives from the Uganda Performers’ Rights Society (UPRS), and other artists’ groups.
She noted that the system will be officially launched on 9 January 2026 in Kampala, following approval by the President. The CMS is expected to enhance the protection of intellectual property and enable creators to earn more reliably from their work.
The Copyright Management System will register musicians’ works and track their usage in public places such as bars, television stations, and radio stations.
Under the new system, users particularly businesses like bars, radio stations, and TV stations will be required to install a licensed device linked to their operating licence in order to play Ugandan content. This device will allow the system to track where and how frequently music is played.
The minister explained that musicians will be required to upload their content onto the licensed CMS platform, where it will be automatically screened for abusive language or breaches of the law, enabling artists to earn legitimately from their work.
She warned that the era of producing music containing pornographic or abusive language is coming to an end, adding that security agencies will take action against offenders, as the system is designed to clean up content and support artists to earn more income.
Police will enforce compliance to ensure that all premises playing music have the recommended CMS devices installed to detect and track music usage.
The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) will be able to detect all songs played through the system. In cases where users fail to pay the required fees, the monitoring agency will expose the offenders.
The system, managed by UCC, will monitor compliance and ensure musicians receive their fair share of industry earnings. For example, a song played 50 times will earn 50 percent of the allocated fee, with the remaining amount shared among other artists based on the frequency of play of their songs.
