By BigEyeUg Team
Veteran dancehall artist and former Firebase Crew member Buchaman has revealed that he doesn’t own the rights to the music he recorded and released during his time with the group.
Speaking candidly about the state of music ownership in Uganda, Buchaman expressed disappointment over how record labels and camps often exploit artists — particularly those who made hit songs years ago but have little to show for their work today.
“I don’t own any copyright over all the songs I did under Firebase Crew,” Buchaman said. “Firebase and Dream Studios own all the rights to all the music we did under the record label. We always released them as albums, and the labels always took the rights. I can only perform but can’t own them. Even if I upload them online, they will be taken down.”
The artist emphasized that this issue extends beyond Firebase, citing other major Ugandan music camps such as Gagamel and Leone Island.
According to him, many artists from those eras face similar struggles because they didn’t have ownership agreements in place.
Buchaman added that stronger copyright laws could help protect musicians’ intellectual property and ensure they benefit from their work long after their active years in the industry.
“I know the copyright law, if well worked on, will help many artists from the past,” he noted.
