Uganda Performing Right Society (UPRS) Board Chairman Martin Nkoyoyo has rejected allegations of mismanagement and fraud raised by musician Douglas Mayanja, alias Weasel, insisting the Shs285,498 royalty payment in dispute was neither for the entire Goodlyfe music catalogue nor for an 18-month period as claimed.
Responding to criticism from Weasel and other artists, Nkoyoyo said the payment was made to Douglas Mayanja as an individual rights holder for royalties collected during the 2025 financial year, adding that other beneficiaries of the Goodlyfe catalogue are entitled to separate shares.
“That amount was not paid to Goodlyfe. It was paid to Douglas Mayanja. Goodlyfe has two people. Radio has his own share, which is administered through his estate, while the executive producer and audio producers are also entitled to a share,” Nkoyoyo said.
He further dismissed claims that the payment represented royalties for the duo’s entire music catalogue, saying UPRS only distributes royalties for works formally registered with the society.
“It doesn’t matter whether you have 300 songs. If you have declared only 10 to UPRS, we consider the 10 that have been declared because we cannot distribute royalties for works that have not been registered,” he said.
Nkoyoyo maintained that the disputed payment covered 12 months, not the 18 months alleged by Weasel.
Addressing accusations of gross mismanagement, lack of transparency and suspected fraud, Nkoyoyo acknowledged that royalty payments remain low but said this reflects limited collections rather than failures by UPRS.
“I admit the figures are still very low. That is not where we want to be as an industry, and it does not reflect the industry’s potential. But we can only distribute what we collect,” he said.
He challenged artists criticising UPRS to become more involved in the organisation’s activities, saying many had failed to attend annual general meetings or engage management before airing grievances publicly.
“UPRS is a collective management organisation owned by its members. If you spend years without attending meetings or engaging the society and then complain on social media, I find that very irresponsible,” Nkoyoyo said.
He also responded to complaints by other musicians, including Lydia Jasmine, saying dissatisfaction with payouts stems from the industry’s low revenue collections.
“If we have only Shs216 million to distribute and the market is not compliant, where do you expect me to get the money from? We all have a responsibility to grow collections because this is collective management,” he said.
Nkoyoyo also revealed that UPRS has not received any formal legal notice from Weasel seeking the removal of the Goodlyfe catalogue from the society’s royalty management system.
“We have not received any formal communication from Weasel. I do not want to respond to social media rhetoric when it comes to legal matters,” he said.
The response follows a decision by Goodlyfe Magic Limited, the company managing the Radio & Weasel music catalogue, to terminate UPRS’s mandate to license, collect and distribute royalties for the duo’s works.
In a letter dated July 7, 2026, the company accused UPRS of gross mismanagement, lack of transparency and suspected fraud, claiming it had received only Shs285,498 in royalties over an 18-month period despite the continued commercial use of Radio & Weasel’s music on radio, television, concerts and other entertainment venues.
Goodlyfe Magic Limited directed UPRS to immediately stop licensing and administering the catalogue and to remove all Radio & Weasel works from its databases and public listings.
The dispute has reignited debate over royalty collection and distribution in Uganda’s music industry, with artists calling for greater transparency while UPRS maintains that low industry compliance and limited collections remain the biggest obstacles to higher royalty payments.
