MOST local musicians could be living in fear of the unknown following revelations that they have refused to present their complaints against record labels in writing to the Competition and Tariffs Commission.

Musicians have always complained that they are getting raw deals at their record stables prompting the commission to open a probe into the operations of Gramma Records and its sister companies, Ngaavongwe Records and Zimbabwe Music Corporation early this year.

The commission invited musicians to come and table their complaints and more than 50 musicians are said to have presented their cases verbally, yet the majority refused to put the presentations in writing.

The commission’s assistant director responsible for competition, Benjamin Chinhengo, said some musicians had openly said that they feared victimisation if they put their presentations in writing.

“We assured them that their identities would be strictly confidential but most of them still refused to put pen to paper,” said Chinhengo.
“At first we thought it had something to do with literacy and we told them to write in any language but they could not give in.

“It seems their relationships with the record companies are the cat-and-mouse type and they are afraid of losing even the so-called distorted royalties.
“Some of them were frank that they feared victimisation with some adding that there had been cases when authorities from certain record companies had visited musicians at their homes and threatened them for releasing ‘confidential’ information.”

He said they had only received five written presentations yet so many musicians had visited their offices.
Commenting on the issue, Zimbabwe Music Rights Association director, Polisile Ncube, said the companies took advantage of the low literacy rate among musicians to intimidate them.

“It is the same with the contracts that these musicians sign. They involve a lot of legal jargon and the musicians just sign without fully understanding the provisions,” said Ncube.

“These companies know that most of our musicians did not go far with education, so they take advantage.
“The artists can be easily intimidated and that should be the reason for their refusal to put their plights in writing.”
But sungura musician, Hosiah Chipanga, had a different view.

Chipanga says he was one of the musicians that visited the commission but the directive to go and put their complaints in writing was “discouraging”.
“I believe they took the wrong approach because I did not see any sense in telling me to put my complaints in writing. I was there in person and they got the information first hand,” said Chipanga.

“They were just supposed to do the writing. I did not go back to them. It is like reporting a case with the police and being told to go back to the station and write everything down.”

Another musician who preferred anonymity said he became suspicious after being told to bring a written statement.
“I think such exercises are meant to pacify the industry,” he said.

“How do we know that what we  write will not leak to the record companies? There are very few record companies and no one wants to create enemies. We want to work with the companies on improved conditions and musicians should speak as one voice. Individual statements personalise issues.”

The major grievance among musicians is that the companies refuse to make public their sales statistics and they believe this is done to cover up for the activities of the companies.

Chinhengo said the probe would continue and a hearing would take place as soon as other urgent investigations were complete.

BY OUR STAFF
 

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