Uganda Performing Right Society is a Society that was formed in 1985 by authors (Mainly Musicians) to advance the cause of Music Copyright Administration in Uganda. UPRS is registered with the Registrar of Companies as a Company Limited by Guarantee having no Share Capital, in other words it belongs to all of its Members.
UPRS is recognized by the Government of Uganda as a Collecting Society and it is a Member of the Confederation of International Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC).
UPRS membership is open to all Composers of original Music and Music Videos. All needed is proof of authorship usually in the form of a recording of the Song or Songs.
Better still, Membership is FREE.
Your Membership Agreement and the assignment allow you to focus on creating more music, and free you from the hassle of collecting royalties from every event where your work is played. This is where UPRS works for you.
UPRS’s role is to license music users for the broadcasting, public performance and recording of music in Uganda, to collect license fees or royalties and to distribute royalties to our members and foreign copyright owners (Member Societies).
UPRS has over 4,000 members comprising, Songwriters, Music Composers, Music Producers Authors of lyrics or words that have been set to music and Music Publishers.
By the way, did you know that the law protects your copyright for all your lifetime, and 50 years after your death? Now that is the most important thing. Whereas while you are living you do follow on all happenings, when you are gone, UPRS ensures your next of kin (and indeed your family) gets what is due to your works for another 50 years.
1. LICENSING MUSIC USERS:
As a UPRS member, you do not have to personally ensure you receive royalties when your music is played in public. UPRS does that for you – whether you work professionally in music or you are an amateur. This lets you focus on the creative side of things.
UPRS collect royalties through licensing agreements with music users. These licenses cover all kinds of music use, whether it’s digital, broadcast or public performance.
We pay royalties to our members when their work is performed, broadcast, streamed, downloaded, reproduced, played in public or used in film and TV.
Anyone who writes music and lyrics is entitled to royalties when their music is performed in public or published on CD, DVD, or the equivalent.
2. UPRS IS A ONE-STOP-SHOP FOR MUSIC USERS:
That is, since UPRS has got Reciprocal Representation Agreements with other Societies around the world, this enables UPRS to offer music users a centralized source where authorization to use music can easily and quickly be obtained. This helps all music users like TVs, Radios, Clubs, Discotheques and others to get a blanket license thus easy and very convenient accessibility to all protected musical works within the repertory of UPRS.
In short, the role of rule is to simplify the process of rights clearance on behalf of our members through efficient and cost-effective “one-stop-shop” licensing solution.
3. THE IMPRACTICABILITY OF MANAGING MUSICAL RIGHTS INDIVIDUALLY:
This is both for the owner of rights and for the user. It would be very difficult for a musician to contact every single radio and television station to negotiate licenses fees for the use of his or her works. Besides, such an individual musician would be in a very weak position to negotiate a viable license as the user will certainly tell him/her that he (the user) has the option of not playing his/her music. But because UPRS controls a huge repertoire of both domestic and international music, we do negotiate on your behalf in a stronger position.
4. CONTROL AND REDUCTION OF INFRINGEMENT ACTIVITIES:
UPRS ensures that any person or company in need of accessing and using protected musical works for gain obtains permission. With our license, the use of our music becomes legally authorized, thus reducing music piracy in the country.
More still UPRS work with the Ugandan Government, Parliament, CISAC, WIPO, ARIPO, IFPI and other international bodies to influence public policy and legislation.
5. EQUITABLE REMUNERATION OF RIGHTS HOLDERS (PER PLAY / MONEY IN MONEY OUT):
UPRS ensures that music creators receive payments for the use of each of their works both locally and internationally through affiliated Societies.
6. EASY MONITORING OF MUSIC USAGE (THAT IS, WHERE MUSIC IS USED? WHEN MUSIC IS USED? AND FOR HOW LONG MUSIC IS USED?):
UPRS monitors all its members’ musical works whenever it’s used in order to enforce the conditions upon which the license has been granted, collect agreed license fees and finally distribute the royalties payable as a result of the licensed use.
So this implies that both music creators and music users NEED UPRS
7. CAREER ADVICE TO MUSIC CREATORS:
UPRS offers career advice to its members through sensitization workshops organized throughout the country. During these studies usually members ask questions which are responded to by UPRS trained officers. This helps to improve members’ career as they get new knowledge on how to do better.
8. UPRS AVAILS COPYRIGHTED MUSICAL WORKS TO CONSUMERS (EASY ACCESSIBILITY BY USERS):
Efficient licensing of copyright works is central to the economy and without it many such works would not be made available, seen or heard by any significant number of consumers. By licensing large repertoires of creative works, UPRS as a Music CMO effectively facilitate the mass use of creative content for the benefit of consumers all over the world.
9. GENERAL MEETING:
Lastly All Members have the right to participate at a UPRS’s General Meeting. During this meeting, all members participate in discussing all policy issues and in the formulation of all regulations and other governance matters. At an elective General Assembly, all members are free to vote for and get elected to any electable position from Chairman and all other regional representatives. This shows that UPRS is owned by its members and they have the final say as far as the CMO is concerned.
NOTE: All royalties received by UPRS go to our members, once costs have been deducted. This is because UPRS is a non-profit making organization.
When a UPRS member dies his spouse, child, relative, next of kin or beneficiary under a will can apply for Membership. This successor member can collect royalties up to 50 years after the death of the UPRS member.
