BY SINDISO DUBE
Award-winning sungura artist DT Bio Mudimba is counting his losses after a modern day music pirate unlawfully uploaded his latest release Aluse…Mushe Mushe on online music platforms and ripping financial gains.
The Binga based artist famed for the hit track Kujata Jata which topped radio charts last year, released his new track on July 20, ‘Aluse …Mushe Mushe’ aptly translated to through grace everything will be fine.
The artist went on Facebook to narrate his unfortunate experience with a music pirate identified as Fuga.
“Guys I am so pained. Someone called Fuga stole Aluse Mushe Mushe and uploaded on all online stores the very week it was released.
“I was banned from putting it on stores yavekunzi haisi yangu.
“Now yatevererwa paYouTube channel yangu where I uploaded it first and it has been barred from monitisation claiming that it now belongs to Fuga,” he posted.
“Is it the way we should make money from the underprivileged who are struggling to earn a living from their hard work as Zimbos?
“May the Almighty bless him who has decided to take the little bread for my children to feed his own.”
The song has amassed 110 000 views on YouTube since it was uploaded on the official DT Bio Mudimba channel.
Posting on his Facebook page, music critic and artist manager Marshal Shonhai advised artists not to release songs on WhatsApp before uploading on online stores.
That way gives anyone an opportunity to upload the song on online stores before the owner does so.
“Dear artists, please put your music on online stores first before release on WhatsApp,” he posted.
This is how piracy looks in 2022, it no longer burns CDs, it has now gone digital. What pains me about this is the same happened with Kujatajata.
“Imagine for all the impact the song made, the artist did not make anything out of it online.” – The Standard