By Lerato Ndlovu
MBARE recording label, Chillspot has blasted the Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (ZIMURA) for allegedly withholding royalties from artists.
In a social media rant Chillspot producer, Levels real name Tafadzwa Kadzimwe claimed ZIMURA was collecting his royalties without his consent and reneged on paying him.
“Since you collect royalties for both registered and non registered musicians (who can’t afford membership fees and other requirements you need for registration). Pane here Nzira yekuti vasiri ma members enyu vawane ma royalties amunotora vasina kukutumai. Kana kuti mari iyoyo yave yenyu ndimi makakodzera kuidya isu kuno tichikuvara nenhoko dzezvironda ??
“Ini chaiye murikuti makabata mari yangu asi kubva 2011 inini pandakatanga kurira pa radio station makambozviisawo here mumusoro kuti mari iyoyo inogona kusazotenga hausi hwangova hutsinye chete hwamunahwo here???
“You should be helping artists tarisai tiri mulockdown asi mari dzingani dzamuinadzo dzekut mukapa varidzi vanobatsirika, you say people should register with you, well that’s fine ko mari dzevasiri registered nemi munodzitorerei, kana matora chipaika muridzi kwete kumuomesera,” he wrote.
However, in a statement ZIMURA rubbished the claims adding that the public may not be aware of how the association operates.
The musicians board added that Levels Chillspot was not given his royalties as he did not fill out the relevant forms nor engaged the relevant office.
“Artists who are not ZIMURA members have been receiving their royalties for a number of years now.
“All he has to do is notify the organisation in detail all his works by filling out notification of works forms (which requires composer’s name, author of lyrics and publisher of music to enable ZIMURA to make accurate distributions) and split sheets which define in detail the share splits with the artists he has worked with so that each artist gets what is due to him.
“The reason why ZIMURA is withholding those royalties in question is because Levels has not cleared the splits above, he has also not created a dialogue with the office yet he has been made aware of what he has to do.
For records sake it is not only Levels who has to be given royalties and this has to be corrected as soon as possible by Levels and the artists,” the statement read.
ZIMURA further rubbished the claim that they have never paid any Zim dancehall artist since the inception of the genre stating that some of the artists are members of the organization and have been collecting their royalties.
The artists body urged artists to register membership so as to ensure a swift distribution of the royalties once the correct information is submitted to them.
