Spice Diana Left Unimpressed by Shs1.4 Million UPRS Royalty Payment
Two royalty payments from the Uganda Performing Rights Society (UPRS). Two very different reactions.
When UPRS first sent Spice Diana Shs20,000, she returned it, saying the amount was too little to take seriously.
Years later, the singer accepted Shs1.4 million from the same body. The figure was bigger, but her opinion hardly changed.
Speaking during an interview on Sanyuka TV, Spice Diana explained that she only kept the money because she needed it at the time.
I did not return this one because for the first one, which was Shs20,000, I felt disrespected. But with the Shs1.4 million, that day I needed money and I said I will not get petty and I took it. But I was not satisfied because I do not feel like that is what I have made for the last two years.
The singer believes the payment falls well below the value of the music she has released and the audience she has built over the years.
Her comments arrive as dissatisfaction with UPRS continues to grow within the music industry.
Weasel Manizo recently walked away from the royalties collection body after revealing he had reportedly received Shs250,000 for the Goodlyfe catalogue covering the past 18 months.
As more artists question the system, Spice Diana’s experience adds another voice to the debate over whether Ugandan musicians receive the royalties they deserve.
