A section of artistes in the country have raised questions over the manner in which Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (Zimura) cancelled the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) debt for the period 2011 and 2014.
BY ALOIS VINGA
Zimura director, Polisile Ncube announced in June this year that ZBC’s debt had to be written off as bad debt after consultations with Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, as the national broadcaster could not afford to pay the estimates as they were not making enough money.
Apart from money realised through live shows and album sales, artistes rely on royalties paid by broadcasters for playing their music. Ncube, however, recently told NewsDay that ZBC was still paying its dues.
“Only bad debts were written off. Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation is still paying its operational debt,” she said.
However, several artistes professed ignorance at the developments and questioned why the association gave the ZBC such a deal without their knowledge.
“I would like to think that Zimura has overstepped their mandate and this makes all its operations highly questionable. I live on music and I comply with all tax regulations. If they claim that they are simply writing off a debt without any consent from the artists that then is unfair. These guys should bear in mind that they are mere custodians of our work,” said Rasta Kwasa musician, Dino Mudondo.
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He said he lived on his music and wondered why the public broadcaster should be exempted from paying artists, who have to meet production costs.
Gospel musician, Charles Charamba said he was yet to establish concrete details on the issue.
“This is my first time hearing about the development hence, I need time to verify before saying anything,” he said.
Upcoming gospel artist Elister Chamisa urged the association to spare a thought for struggling musicians.
“We are operating in a harsh environment, where already we are struggling to contain the erosion of our income through piracy. Writing off ZBC’s bad debt is disheartening and raises a lot of questions,” she said.
