Star FM ventures into mobile music

31 Aug, 2014 - 06:08 0 Views
Star FM ventures into mobile music Templeman the Godfather

The Sunday Mail

Templeman the Godfather

Templeman the Godfather

The music piracy scourge has driven Star FM and music producers to come up with a new initiative aimed at fighting the rot.

Unlike in previous years where artistes could live comfortably from album sales, contemporary musicians now only rely on live performances.

But Star FM, working hand-in-glove with the country’s mobile network providers and various record labels, has come up with what could be the panacea.

The pilot project, which is presently limited to the Zim dancehall genre, will be used to help musicians boost sales of their music through purchasing songs on the mobile short message service (SMS) platform.

The concept is presently functional in countries like South Africa, Namibia and Kenya and has proved effective in countering piracy and improving legal distribution of music there.

“Godfather” Templeman, one of the brains behind the project, said the scheme first targeted dancehall artistes, but could be spread to other genres.

“Music is going to be sold through an SMS platform that will be provided through our show ‘The Dancehall Remedy’ on Star FM. The idea is we have a Top 20 chart show that will be held week-in-week-out and a code for the purchase of one’s song of choice will be issued,” he said.

The process of purchasing a song through the SMS platform, he said, was going to be fast and would take less than half-a-minute.

The “Godfather” added that a special standard for the selection of songs to be featured in the Top 20 competition would be put in place. The songs will also be regularly rotated using the voting system.

“We want the platform to be open only for quality products. We don’t want sub-standard music to be sold through our platform, hence we are going to identify songs that fit certain criteria and let the public vote for them,” he said.

Artistes whose songs are bought through the SMS platform will get their revenue from the radio station at agreed intervals.

“Artistes will come, say, after a three-month period, and collect their dues. The money they collect will be theirs and they can use it as they see fit.

“For instance, Ras Pompy can use the money to pay for his school fees or other activities that help further his academic pursuance,” explained the Godfather.

Dancehall is currently reigning supreme in Zimbabwe. But the performers’ fame and popularity have not translated into healthier bank accounts — something that Star FM hopes to change.

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