It promises to be one of those memorable shows. The musicians seem set to dish out the vibes to perfection. So they do.
When they get on stage, patrons go agog. In the frenzy, some patrons take out tabs, i-Phones and even cell phones to record the show on video.
Where will the videos end? Some of the patrons will delete them after showing them to a few friends and relatives. Others will post them on video sharing sites such as YouTube. Yet others have bigger ideas: They will compile the videos and ‘release’ DVDs which they will sell.
Noticing the gravity of the issue, Musicians Association of Malawi (MAM) president Chimwemwe Mhango says the association is moving in to stop the misdeeds, saying musicians have the right to stop people recording their shows.
He said the association is looking into a world where no one records a music performance without permission.
“We are telling all musicians to announce at the beginning of every show that they will not allow anybody to record their shows without permission. Usually, artists already have people who will record their shows. It is high time musicians and Malawians in general were civilised on these matters,” said Mhango.
Famed videographer Chipiliro Khonje said technological advancement is welcome, but abuse kills art.
“It is not only a problem at music shows. Sometimes at weddings, people bring out gadgets to grab moments of happiness. In the process, they obscure professional video makers. Sadly, some of them delete the videos after a day or two,” she said.
Khonje said unprofessional live music videos posted on the Internet can affect artists’ international standing.
Said Khonje: “Most of the times, such recordings are done with poor lighting. They are shaky. The sound does not come out clear and, to put them on the Internet would put off potential international promoters and people who may be interested in an artist.”
But musician Piksy said he sees nothing wrong with patrons uploading videos on the info superhighway: “It is a form of promotion. Some people would be lured to go to my show after seeing such videos.”
The Unamata star, however, said a problem arises when the videos go on the market. He said such culprits must be brought to book.
During a recent performance in Blantyre, Black Missionaries Band security personnel confiscated a Galaxy Tab after a patron was seen recording Anthony Makondetsa in action. After deleting the videos, they returned the gadget.
“It is unfortunate that people take videos without permission. Some of the videos end up on the market. This is ripping us and it is a new form of piracy that we must fight,” said Makondetsa.
Black Missionaries band leader Anjiru Fumulani said such incidents are common.
“It is not on to have our live videos which are of poor quality on the Internet. It takes a lot for musicians to produce a professional live recording. You have to have the proper lighting, enough gadgets to record all the instruments and voices as well,” said Fumulani.
Copyright Society of Malawi (Cosoma) senior licensing officer Rosario Kamanga said it is illegal to record performances with whatever gadget without permission.
“Those recording must be authorised to do so. Otherwise, musicians have the right to stop such recordings. In some countries when you are going for a show, you are searched to determine if you have recording gadgets. It’s that serious. That as it may be, as Cosoma, we have dealt with complaints from musicians on this,” said Kamanga.