KOTA KINABALU: June 27, 2026 – Music Authors’ Copyright Protection (MACP) Berhad has continued its MACP East Malaysia Tour 2.0 programme at Happy Place Restaurant in Kota Kinabalu on Sturday, following an encouraging response last year. The initiative aims to strengthen copyright awareness within the creative community and forge closer ties with music creators in Sabah.
In a key development, MACP announced two new award categories specifically for its East Malaysian members, which will be contested at the MACP Awards 2026. The move is designed to recognise the contributions of creators from Sabah and Sarawak.
MACP also introduced new artificial intelligence (AI) guidelines, which stipulate that only works created entirely by humans are eligible for recognition. Its chief executive, Mary Yap, said: “MACP wants to ensure that no music creator is left behind in receiving their economic rights. Essentially, any training of copyrighted works by AI companies should first obtain permission accompanied by appropriate compensation, and copyrighted works that are used should also be publicly disclosed for the knowledge of copyright owners.”
The programme featured sharing sessions from the Music Publishers Association Malaysia (MPA Malaysia), as well as performances by Dabra Sia and Hezron (Atmosfera), alongside students from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and the Sabah Institute of Arts (SIA). A “Kahoot with Kupi-Kupi FM” session was also held to enliven the event.
MACP’s East Malaysia director, Roger Wang, said: “MACP sees potential among music creators in Sabah. Through this 2.0 tour, MACP is committed to providing exposure and disseminating information to new music creators, and proactively delivering information on protecting their works.”
MACP called for support from the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) and the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) in Sabah to strengthen copyright enforcement. Collaboration with UMS and SIA has also been established to give emerging talents the opportunity to showcase their works to industry players.
To attract more young artists, membership eligibility requirements have been relaxed – applicants now only need one work uploaded to a streaming platform with at least 1,000 total views.
MACP has introduced its ‘myKarya’ portal to help members manage work registrations, check membership information and access various services.
“MACP hopes that artists in Sabah will understand that their works have great value, not only from an artistic perspective but also from an economic one,” added Ms Yap.
