JIVE Zimbabwe will in the next two weeks unveil an online platform for music sales in partnership with mobile money entity Ecocash.
BY SILENCE CHARUMBIRA ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER
Speaking to NewsDay yesterday Benjamin Nyandoro, director of the music marketing and distribution company said the platform will be an answer to musicians’ piracy problems.
“We will be starting off with Sulumani Chimbetu’s music once we are done with engagement of Ecocash,” Nyandoro said.
“This is just one of our so many other efforts against piracy.
“Currently there is music on our website which is in the listen/ read only format that cannot be downloaded, but after the launch it can be downloaded and can be stored on laptops, iPads, iPods and other music-storing devices.”
Nyandoro said music will be selling at $0,50 per track while an album would be selling for a minimum of $3 depending on the artiste.
He said of the revenue collected, musicians will get 50% after deduction of the Ecocash costs.
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“Musicians still have other ways of getting revenue from music sales besides this so there are some that will be suited by our agreement while others will not,” Nyandoro said.
“We have put an online music distribution agreement on our website so that they can download, sign and send back to us.”
The fight against piracy is mainly dependent on how ethical the consumer is. Asked whether the downloaded music would be duplicable Nyandoro said they would start by uploading Digital Restrictions Management, a practice of imposing technological restrictions that control what users can do with digital media.
“Internationally people fight to have content that they can copy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jive Zimbabwe will tonight launch Sulu’s DVD for the album Syllabus at Book Café.
Nyandoro said they are using the musician’s show at the venue as an opportunity to give the product to the market.
The show is an outcome between Book Café and Jive Zimbabwe that has seen the latter hosting shows for different artistes from December last year.
