Kota Kinabalu: Music Authors’ Copyright Protection (MACP) Berhad will introduce two new awards honouring ethnic music from Sabah and Sarawak at the MACP Awards next year.
East Malaysia representative Roger Wang said it is part of the royalty collection body’s efforts to be more inclusive while recognising ethnic works from both states.
“Sabah and Sarawak are the only states in Malaysia with their own music industries rooted in their respective ethnic languages.“Up to now, these ethnic songs have mostly been popular only within Sabah and Sarawak. It will promote Sabah and Sarawak ethnic music to a wider market,” he said.
MACP is still finalising the names of the categories, but the awards will be determined based on song revenue collection.
“As MACP is a royalty collection agency, our data is based on income collected.
“We are also considering whether the assessment should be based on an individual song or the composer’s overall income for the year, but the basis will remain MACP’s revenue data,” he said.
Roger added that the body is also refining the criteria for defining an ethnic song for the new categories. “The music industry in Sabah and Sarawak is unique because some songs may the Malay, but in terms of slang and context, they still fall under ethnic music.
“For example, the song ‘Sayang Kinabalu’. Although most of its lyrics are in Malay, the melody, rhythm and references are distinctly local. The slang is also local, so the song can be considered ethnic.
“It is up to the composer to define their work when submitting it to MACP, whether they wish to categorise it as an ethnic song from Sabah or Sarawak,” he said.
Meanwhile, Roger denied that the introduction of the two new categories was intended to compete with the local CMOs in both states, namely Music Right Sabah (MRS) Berhad and Music Right Sarawak Berhad (MRSB).
He said in the context of Sabah, MACP does not oppose MRS but believes its establishment complements MACP’s role in ensuring royalties are comprehensively collected without loss of income.
“We see MRS as a positive development because it shows that songwriters in Sabah are increasingly aware of their rights and want their own way of managing song rights and royalties.
“However, MRS only focuses on ethnic music in Sabah, while MACP is broader as it covers all languages in Malaysia as well as internationally.
“For example, if a composer writes not only ethnic songs but also Malay-language songs, MACP is the better option.
“But if a songwriter solely produces ethnic songs, then they may choose MRS because that is indeed their focus and mission, to support ethnic music. “He said MACP and MRS each have their respective roles, but every songwriter can only register with one CMO.”
On the MACP East Malaysia Roadshow (Sabah) 2025 held on Saturday, Roger said the programme aimed to strengthen ties with the creative community in the state while raising awareness about copyright protection.
The attendance of more than 100 composers, artists, lyricists and influencers was a good start for MACP in Sabah, he said.
