MUSIC: ‘We will create a ZIMA masterpiece’

The entry window for the Zimbabwe Music Awards closed on Friday the 8th of August at 1700hrs, then re-opened again for an additional five days, closing finally at midday last Wednesday.

Organisers of the event announced the extension of entries shortly after the first official closing of entries citing an overwhelming response by artists that had resulted in some artists being unable to process their submissions by the stipulated time.

In a statement, Zima marketing and public relations executive Farai Chapoterera said that in accordance with the dates stated on the rules document, Zima had closed manual and online entries at 1700hrs on Friday in the presence of the auditing firm.

However, it was immediately realised that artists were still thronging the Zima offices and attempting to access the online registration platform which had been shut down.

A decision was promptly made to extend the submission window to ensure that every interested artist got a fair chance to be considered for the coveted accolade.

Commenting on the response from artists, Ms Chapoterera said: “We are really quite humbled by the confidence our artists have shown in this initiative. They have come out in their numbers and shown great excitement. We have registered artists from across the country and even some artists in the diaspora.

‘‘We had no choice but to extend because the awards are for the musicians and it is only right for us to make the platform available for them to compete amongst their peers.”

Asked about the success of the submission process, she said they were really satisfied with the entire process. Obviously this was not without its hitches but according to Zima these were crucial learning curves for the artists and for Zima.

“Many of the requirements that we asked the artists to submit are standard but we discovered that many of them struggled to put them together. Not because of any fault on their part but because this is not something that they have had done before.

‘‘We are encouraging artists and their managers to adopt a more professional approach to their trade. It is important for one to have their assets such as their biographies, photographs and recorded material readily available. This should not just be for the awards but even to market themselves locally and internationally.”

This year Zima launched an online submissions system which became very popular with musicians who appreciated the fact that it offered them convenience and allowed them to make their entries from wherever they were. Zima said this new system allowed them to keep track of all entries and to be able to advise artists of any errors or omissions in their submissions.

Zima has since started taking stock of entries in preparation of the adjudication process which is set to take place soon.

From the onset Zima announced that they would be maintaining a very tight leash on the adjudication process to make sure that the results are credible.

For this reason, the names of the judges will be withheld and only announced on the night of the event.

All Zima has revealed is that the panel will comprise of 10 judges, two of whom will be South African music experts.

So with the business end of things coming to an end, all attention now shifts to the more exciting stage, as speculation is already running high as to who the nominees will be, should we expect a big bash for the nominees and who will perform at the event.

For now Zima organisers are holding their cards very close to their chests making anticipation very high.

Zima, for their part, have promised that the 2014 edition will be showpiece of the year.