UNMF Announces Installation of 'Nyange' Devices to Track Music in Hotels, Bars, and Media Houses

The Uganda National Musicians Federation (UNMF) has announced the nationwide installation of a Ugandan-made copyright management device to track music played in hotels, bars, media houses, and other public spaces for commercial purposes, following the signing of the country’s new copyright law.

The device, named Nyange, is currently being rolled out across the country. It is designed to monitor and log music played in commercial establishments, providing accurate data that will be used to calculate and distribute royalties to artists and rights holders.

“These devices will support music royalties collection and distribution. Installation is now underway. The device name is NYANGE,” said Eddy Kenzo, President of the Uganda National Musicians Federation (UNMF).

The announcement comes on the heels of a landmark legal development. On April 29, 2026, President Yoweri Museveni signed the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights (Amendment) Act, 2026 into law, marking a significant overhaul of Uganda’s creative industry regulations. The Act, passed by Parliament on March 17, 2026, aims to curb piracy, improve remuneration for artists, and enhance digital protection, including a 60% revenue share for creators on caller ringback tunes.

The new law also introduces tougher penalties for unauthorized reproduction of creative works, strengthens protections for content published on digital platforms, limits copyright assignments to a maximum of 20 years before rights revert to the original creator, establishes rules for using “orphan works” whose authors cannot be located, requires registration with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) for legal protections such as takedown notices, and explicitly recognizes folklore and traditional knowledge as protected derivative works.

Local artists have widely hailed the legislation as a “game-changer” for Uganda’s creative economy.

With both the legal framework and the locally developed Nyange technology now in place, the UNMF has called on all commercial establishments to cooperate with the installation process, warning that non-compliance will attract penalties under the new law.