Cosoma’s Digital Store initiative faces resistance
The planned rollout of the Digital Store initiative by the Copyright Society of Malawi (Cosoma) has been postponed following resistance from some sections of the stakeholders.
The society was expected to launch the Cosoma Digital Store, where people would access Malawian music, poetry and movies, but the initiators have been forced to delay the rollout after some stakeholders expressed reservations with the model.
In an interview yesterday, Cosoma head of distribution Shadreck Kumitengo confirmed the development and attributed the situation to lack of understanding of the platform’s operating model by some people.
He confirmed that the society has since suspended the rollout to allow for further discussions with stakeholders.
“We have received some opposing opinions. Some do not understand how the system will work. We are even failing to understand their reasoning. Maybe it is just unfounded fears. We are giving a chance to hear them out and address those issues before we start,” said Kumitengo.
He said the society did thorough consultations before the initiative was brought forward and they are surprised that some people are raising their questions now. He said they are hopeful that the project will start by the end of this month.
Kumitengo said the project is targeting artists who don’t have the market, know-how and capacity to share their content online.
In a separate interview, Filmmakers Association of Malawi vice-president Ashukile Mwakisulu admitted that some artists have reservations about the project, but said as an association they are yet to make a decision.
He said once they agree on one thing, they will make it public.
However, Mwakisulu said his personal view as a film producer is that it does not make sense to share content on a platform that is not generating any revenue for the artists.
“As artists we need to sustain ourselves. If the platform will not earn us any revenue apart from the blank media levy, then it is wrong. We were just told about this concept and not consulted per se. I think people were just excited about it because it was new without having full knowledge of it,” he said.
Poetry Association of Malawi president Robert Chiwamba said many things need to be looked into, considering the changing dynamics on the digital landscape.
He said: “Artists are now monetising their YouTube channels and earning money from it. It won’t make sense to have that content posted on the Cosoma channel which is not making money. But it is encouraging that we are having these conversations, it shows we are making progress.”
According to a concept note of the project, the Cosoma Digital Store has been designed to be a repository digital platform for Malawian creative work, providing exposure for artists while at the same time collecting statistical information on how various artistic works are being exploited.
