Urban artists welcome TNM music bundles
Some urban artists have welcomed newly-introduced TNM Music Bundle as a positive development.
TNM has introduced a Music Data Bundle for subscribers to buy and consume music through the new service.
The mobile network company has since sealed a deal with two of the country’s online music stores www.nyimbozathu.com and Rediyo App, which are on Google Play Store.
In an interview yesterday, award-winning hip hop artist Hyphen, formerly Young Kay, has said the bundle is better than nothing.
He said artists were previously getting nothing.
The bundle, he added, is a big step for artists because it creates a platform for bargaining for the better.
Gospel artist Gwamba, whose song Better once reached more than 100 000 downloads but got nothing from it, also welcomed the bundle as a giant step.
“It will indeed help than just free downloads. As artists, we need to support it,” he said.
Most artists have always yearned for a viable digital platform where money from music downloads could also trickle to them.
It is against such a challenge, according to TNM public relation manager Akossa Mphepo, that TNM positioned itself to create the customised Music Data Bundles in partnership with digital platforms that publishes local music from Malawi.
Mphepo said over the past few years there has been a shift in the way people consume music.
The transition from the physical sale of CDs to digital offerings has been gaining momentum through greater availability of broadband and the adoption of smartphones, tablets and feature phones in the market space, she said.
Mphepo said the new Smart Music Bundles will be categorised under the Smart Social Bundle category as follows: Smart Social Bundles, Smart Facebook, Smart Music Bundles Nyimbo Zathu Bundle and Rediyo Music Bundle.
“The bundles will also be subscribed via *202# and TNM Smart App under TNM Smart Social bundles.
“Customers will be required to download Rediyo App from Google play account.
“There are two bundles under Rediyo music bundle—one Song Bundle *200*120# and Album Bundle *200*220#,” she said.
Mphepo also said customers who want to download music from www.nyimbozathu.com will use Nyimbozathu Bundles—one Song Bundle 200 *200*6# and Album Bundle *200*136#.
However, customers who subscribe to the music data bundles will be able to stream but not to download the song on other services such as eWIMAX and Opera Mini.
Percy Manyozo of Nyimbozathu said the development is beneficial to the growth of the country’s music industry as far as economic rights of musicians are concerned.
Meanwhile, some musicians have urged other online music stores to work with TNM to ensure that musicians benefit from their work.
