Kinshasa, July 6th, 2026 (CPA). – The payment of copyright royalties in the Democratic Republic of Congo will take place from July 8th to 21st in Kinshasa, according to a statement issued by the Congolese Society for Copyright and Related Rights (SOCODA) consulted by CPA on Monday. « The General Directorate of the Congolese Society for Copyright and Related Rights (SOCODA Coop-CA) will proceed with the payment of copyright royalties from July 8th to 21st, 2026, at its headquarters located at No. 4 Zongotolo Avenue, Clinique District, Gombe Municipality, » the statement said. « The payment schedule is as follows: July 8th – 9th for visual artists; July 10th, 13th and 14th for playwrights; and July 15th, 16th, 17th, 20th and 21st for musicians, including songwriters, composers, publishers and producers. The list of eligible beneficiaries has been posted at the entrance of the Society’s headquarters, » the document added.
Significant Progress
As part of the distribution of copyright royalties in the DRC, visual artists, including painters, sculptors and graphic artists have been included for the first time among the beneficiaries, alongside playwrights, musicians, publishers and producers.
According to the statement, the Copyright Distribution Commission took the opportunity to call on Congolese visual artists to join the organization by registering their works. It also pledged to continue identifying artworks displayed in various institutions across the country. « Only works that have actually been broadcast publicly communicated or reproduced by users or operators are eligible for royalty payments through SOCODA, » the Society’s General Directorate recalled.
Copyright royalty distribution in the Democratic Republic of Congo is administered by SOCODA Coop-CA, which periodically redistributes collected royalties to its affiliated authors, composers, performers and producers based on the actual use and dissemination of their works.