Music streaming social media channel Nash TV has announced that it is releasing all copyrights back to the local artists who performed for them. This comes after Nash TV faced massive backlash on social media over allegations of exploiting artists who are trying to make a living from music.
The allegations came about after entertainment commentator and arts journalist Plot Mhako shared part of a contract which Nash TV makes performers sign. The contract has a clause in which the performers agree to give away all the rights to their work forever.
This did not go down well with many Zimbabweans on social media who took to Twitter and Facebook to blast the company for the way it was allegedly abusing and taking advantage of desperate artists and performers.
The company has since released a statement in which it said “We’ve taken it upon ourselves to release all copyrights…”
Holding company Nash Group also insisted that it has not made any profit from Nash TV, and said it will release its financial statements to public scrutiny.
Below is the statement from Nash TV which iHarare is publishing in full.
We have always considered ourselves a platform by the people, for the people and for that reason we value public views and feedback to the work we do. Due to the public outcry concerning some of our contracts with artists, we have taken it upon ourselves to release all the copyrights to Color Vibes videos, Hotspot Videos and Live Shows that we have done. Any artiste who recorded with us and wants to claim the copyright to their song should feel free to do that.
The leaked contract was designed to give the company maximum protection especially after paying the artist the agreed figure for the music or video in full. Our main thrust is to help turn the Zimbabwean art sector into a self-funding industry and doing so in a sustainable way which safeguards our interests and investment over time.
Going forward we are working on a new contract and we will reach out to all arts stakeholders, critics included so that we come up with a contract which seeks to protect not only ourselves but the artist as well. We will have the contracts debates live on air until we come up with a solid win-win contract.
We are also opening our financials to public scrutiny and these will demonstrate that as Nash Group we have not made any profits from Nashtv. Financial gain was never the driving factor in this venture, we are solely driven by the desire to grow the arts industry and bring a feel-good experience to our country as proven over time.
Thank you for your continued support and feedback to our quest for a viable and rewarding arts industry. We have faith in the local arts industry and we will continue learning as we go.–iharare
