Copyright Societies and Musicians in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Enduring Infrastructures in Times of Decolonization?

This article examines the role of copyright societies in shaping the work of musicians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during decolonization. The Belgian colonial authorities had transferred the Western system of intellectual property rights and collecting societies to Congo during the colonial period. Intellectual property dues granted specific revenues to Congolese artists until the late colonial period under a legal regime that was otherwise repressive for the colonized. At the same time, Kinshasa became one of the early music capitals on the African continent. First, this article outlines the firms and institutions that comprised the emerging record industry in Congo. Second, it quantifies the total dues for intellectual property rights paid to Congolese musicians during the late colonial and early postcolonial periods. Third, it examines ruptures and continuities with the emergence of new authors’ rights societies in Congo during the postcolonial era. Such systems also allowed for geographical extensions among the diasporas of Congolese musicians, especially in France and Belgium, supplementing the infrastructures in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Fourth, it highlights the continuities in Congolese copyright societies and the influence of a long and complex period of decolonization on music infrastructures.