Mhanzi App eradicates piracy

THE Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (Zimura) has indicated that it will set up a new application to monitor every transaction with users of music in a move aimed at reducing piracy.

THE Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (Zimura) has indicated that it will set up a new application to monitor every transaction with users of music in a move aimed at reducing piracy.

SHARON SIBINDI OWN CORRESPONDENT

Music Hub Application in Zimbabwe (Mhanzi) that operates on mobile devices and personal pages will also enable people to purchase music online and pay through EcoCash, TeleCash and NetCash.

The application will be launched early next year.

Zimura will explain the functions of the application and make it available to all artistes who will sign up for it.

Zimura information technology officer Herbert Ncube told Southern Eye Lifestyle that Mhanzi is an online application that operates on mobile devices with the owner’s content uploading content on their personal page.

“The rights owners will have a real time account to monitor every transaction that happens on the application,” he said.

“The rights holder can communicate with his or her fans on the application and users pay using different methods. The streaming would be only for 20 seconds.”

Ncube said it was agreed that before uploading the works, artistes should first sign an indemnity form certifying that they owned their mechanical rights.

The board agreed to launch the application at a venue where all members and publishers would be invited and the system explained. He encouraged artistes to bring their music on CD or flash disk so that it can be easily converted.

Most artistes have been complaining that very little of their songs were aired on ZBC radio and Zimura will use the Mhanzi application to sell their work and track how many people have bought the song online.