Piracy In Zim Media & Possible Remedies
Piracy In Zimbabwe and The Possible Remedies
Piracy has led to the destruction of the Local media industry, be it music, movies or series. Local Zimboz now rely on the informal sector to get the latest offerings in the country. If you take a walk in the street of Harare you will notice a lot of vendors on the sidewalk selling the pirated copies of Music albums, movies, series. Buying from those vendors has become a habit from the local folks, its rare that you meet a person buying an original CD/DVD from a selected outlet anywhere in the country.
Many point the blame on the dire economic situation and argue that the CD's are priced out of their reach so they will be left with no choice than to search for a cheaper pirated Copy. This is true to some extend and one will realize that an album will be priced at $30, this price is too high, even for me the blogger.
The issue will then come to how the album must be priced??!!!
Most artists charge according to how they feel their music is worth, disregarding the perception of the fans on their music. They charge based on pride and if there is a difference between their perceived value an that of fans surely that album will not be bought regardless of how good it is. To better price an offering I propose that the artist must conduct a research among his fan on how much they expect his album to be? how much the fans are willing to part with to get the product?. Its much better if the album is then priced slightly below the fans expected price to give them the "more value for their money feeling". This in turn means that artist must engage in a lot of market research or they must employ people who must do this for them. Creating a amazing album does not translate into sales if the research part is ignored. If priced right the album will have a greater chance of selling a commendable number of copies.
Another major issue is the issue of perception and sense of pride. I have come across many Zimboz who perceive everything local as substandard, most of these people listen to foreign songs which they don't even understand. There is a scarcity of Zim Pride among many of our people. If no value is place on Zim arts then there is no need for buying an original copy. If perception remains as it is then piracy will indeed never cease. The task is how to make Zimboz prioritize their arts more than foreign arts. If we support our arts and if we make noise about if the whole world will want to know what the noise is about. Nigerians make noise of their music, South Africans make noise of their music and because of that we will be drawn into liking their music and movies. Their music is improving because they have the local support, and that is lacking in Zim. Back in the early 2000's Studio 263 was the must watch for everyone in Zim, and because of that support the series kept improving month by month. Currently Zim Dancehall is the major music genre in Zim and because of the immense support it receives it keeps improving song by song. So what we need is total support of our local arts, not just dancehall support. However the support of Zimdancehall has not yet translated to sales and artists survive on live shows.
Changing the perception of people to that which they buy an album to support the artist is the major problem the Zim media faces, it is even bigger than the economic situation. Piracy will remain there till a way to change the Zimboz perception on buying local art is changed.
The Government is not supporting the local arts. In their budget the arts sector is not even recognized and very few resources are offered to the arts sector. In Nigeria the media/arts sector is supported by the government and its success can be evidenced by anyone. Personally I believe the arts sector can play a major role in the economic turnaround of the country. If the arts receive more support from regulatory and monetary authorities it can boost tourism and revenue income to the nation at large. Movies and music videos and series are an excellent way to showcase the beauty that the country has to offer. Because of movies such as Tsotsi and other South African short films and music videos Soweto has become a tourist destination. Because of movies such as Lord Of The Rings New Zealand has became a major tourist destination. The media is an efficient way of showcasing the beauty the country beholds. If the Regulatory and monetary authorities consider the arts sector as an important sector we will witness a major improvement in the arts sector and the perception people have on the local arts will improve. Financial support will mean that artists, actors and producers will be able to conduct effective market research and better quality products will emerge.
The regulatory authorities must work in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (ZIMURA) to eradicate the selling of pirated products by street side vendors. Currently even if the ZIMURA wants to remove those vendors it has no government backing. In other countries such as USA, UK, SA, Nigeria, there are steeper fines to those caught pirating copyrighted stuff. Such laws and required in Zim. Some may argue that such laws are present by there is no proper enforcement and followup. When Sabhuku Vharazipi two came out the went around the ZIMURA officials and a few City Council police went around town apprehending those selling pirated copies but it was just for a moment and was not efficient because the Government did not even offer to help. Because the Government does not prioritize the arts sector and has no plans to reduce piracy it remains rampant. Currently Sabhuku Vharazipi 3 is in waiting because of the fears of piracy :
Another way to curb piracy is the use of online platforms. Amazon & iTunes are the leading online music retailers. The music will be secure on these platforms and will reach a wider audience than the physical copies of Discs. However the challenge remains in many Zimboz not having access to these platforms and also online purchases are still kind of new to many hence most do not trust them yet. Econet Wirelss and Zimbabwe Music Rights Association are partnering in creating a local platform which will help in the selling and distribution of the local music. For More Info follow the link:
Lastly l appeal to the companies to work with arts bodies such as ZINARA,HIFA, SHOKO Festival, ZIBF, Zim Film Festival to uplift the local arts. The media is an effective way to advertise your products. Look at how companies such as Sony, Apple, Acer, MacDonald's market their products through music videos, series and movies. In South Africa companies such as Spurs, Nandos, Wonga, Capitec Bank..etc advertise their products through the media sector. Local companies must also do the same. Currently there is a rise in the number of endorsements offered to local artists, this is highly commendable and hope there will be an increase in the endorsements in the future.
Those who have more ideas and methods of curbing piracy you can comment below. Lets work to improve our Local arts.
#Proud_Zimba
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