Singer Master Parrot has opened up about why he did not gain as much financial success from his music career as some of his contemporaries like Bebe Cool, Bobi Wine, and Jose Chameleone.
The “Kikompola” hitmaker explained that during their era, many artists were not paid fairly for performances.
According to him, the music industry operated on a “winner-takes-it-all” system, where the biggest star on a show would receive the majority of the payment while the rest of the performers earned very little.
He revealed that when promoters organized concerts, the top artist could earn around UGX 1 million, while the supporting acts would receive as little as UGX 20,000 to UGX 50,000—and sometimes they were not paid at all despite performing.
Master Parrot added that many of the artists who were at the same level as him did not manage to accumulate wealth from music.
In his view, the few who are financially stable today are mostly those who relocated abroad or married wealthy partners, rather than those who relied solely on their music careers.
His remarks highlight the financial struggles many early Ugandan musicians faced, especially before the industry became more structured with better contracts, brand deals, and digital revenue streams.
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