ZICCO Steps Up Efforts To Empower Zimbabwean Artists

-New Council promises total support to their registered members

-Farming in-come generating projects roll on is on cards

By Nevison Mpofu  

Zimbabwean artists who had over the past years been un-empowered now remains geared towards artistry satisfaction. This comes after the recent launch of the Zimbabwe Council of Copy-Rights [ZICCO] in Harare at a launch attended by several artists especially musicians.

The organization has taken a broad based insight into focusing on what disadvantages artists especially long strained un-empowered musicians. The mandate of ZICCO is to collect royalties for its members. At the same go it safe-guards their copyrights. Prolonging to say further, the stretched mandate goes on to protect those left to inherit what the deceased artists have left.

‘’The objective lies on ameliorating poverty and vulnerability in our artists and to those who hold rights for late musicians. Musicians especially among sundry artists have been for long, remained un-protected by existing organizations and those who claimed protection against problems artists may face.

‘’Artists are dis-advantaged by piracy, poor remuneration. Some other factors of which we are here to address amicably existed time back. Some copy-rights groups have over the past years un-fairly distributed royalties un-equally, this resulting in poor conditions and vulnerability creation. Artists remain dis-advantaged there-by pulling out of the industry, a bad scenario that kills the whole industry’’.

As witness to this truth, ZICCO Chief Executive Officer Tafadzwa Masembura expressed that their organization will roll out lucrative projects. He pointed out that these will be meant to make all artists benefit equally.

‘’We safe-guard copyrights for artists. We as well collect revenue on behalf of our members. We always make sure Artists earn beyond live performances. We want to invest in in-come generating projects for our artists. We want them to remain viable and self-sustained in business’’.

‘’Soon we will roll out poultry, chicken and rabbits projects nation-wide to our members.  We want artists to venture on in such projects for them to generate and get income in –order for them to remain in their business. In the absence of shows they remain visible in their industry as musicians’’.

‘’We are currently putting them in groups depending on their geographical location. We will then see how best to empower them. Besides ZICCO is securing funeral policies and medical aid for its members. We have almost 1000 members registered just in one year, within a year. Truth is we have 150 artists that have already received royalties from the venues the musicians performed at since we started.

‘’Space is to expanded for us not to co-exist. In that regard, we collect revenue from institutions that are not licensed by other organizations like ZIMURA [Zimbabwe Music Rights]. We hope they do the same. Let us benefit artists beyond their annual royalties from radio stations’’