SAMRO has announced that Chairperson Nicholas Maweni will step down on 1 October 2025, closing out nearly seven years at the helm. The organisation credited his tenure with strengthening governance and accelerating growth for South African music creators.
Under Maweni’s leadership, SAMRO reported a 15.4% year-on-year increase in total licence revenue in 2024 and distributed a record R429.2 million in royalties to members. The cost-to-income ratio also fell to 22.8%, down from around 40% seven years ago—evidence of a leaner, more efficient operation returning more value to rightsholders.
Vice Chair and Lead Independent Director Sisa Mayekiso praised Maweni’s “transformative” stewardship, highlighting robust but effective Board governance and a creator-first focus. Maweni will continue to lead the Board through the transition until 1 October 2025 while SAMRO initiates processes to fill vacant roles and position the organisation for its next growth chapter.
For Downtown’s community of composers and publishers, this signals continuity with momentum: a collecting society aiming at better efficiencies and stronger distributions—key ingredients for creators getting paid, protected, and promoted across the region.
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