SAMRO Gives Financial Assistance To Artists That Have Been Crucially Impacted By Coronavirus

SAMRO Gives Financial Assistance To Artists That Have Been Crucially Impacted By Coronavirus. The South African entertainment industry has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The South African entertainment industry has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Musicians have been quite hurt due to concerts, festivals and other gigs being cancelled due to the lockdown to avert the coronavirus from spreading. Several other areas have been closed, the only open places are places that provide essential services.

Nathi Mthethwa, the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, publicised that there would be R150 million left for entertainment industry people that are critically impacted by the lockdown in terms of finances. The Southern African Music Rights Organisation also went ahead to issue financial assistance to artists that need money. “The Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO), the biggest collection society in Africa, has proactively gone out with other institutions on behalf of artists to request financial institutions and various stakeholders to exercise some leniency towards musicians in relation to their financial obligations,” says the Southern African Music Organisation in a statement.

The CEO of the organisation, Mark Rosin, says that about 10 000 of its members have been advantaged from a recent television distribution of R63 million, which was finished on the 30th of March. He went on to say that a month before that they gave royalties that were about R141 million, which makes the pay-out the largest radio distribution in the previous five years.

by Alexandra Ramaite