CHARAMBA GETS BACKING IN ROW WITH COPYCAT JAH SIGNAL
PASTOR Charles Charamba is getting overwhelming support for his move to report Jah Signal to YouTube for copyright infringement.
Jah Signal had the video of his 2018 love song, Sweetie, struck down for copyright infringement on the song Vanhu Vangu off Charamba’s 2001 album Exodus.
Jah Signal’s manager, Hillary Mutake, said:
“For now I can’t comment on that issue because why is the issue being brought to light now?
“I think there is something behind it but I don’t have much to say.”
Contacted for comment, Baba Charamba said he was in a meeting and promised to respond to our questions sent to him via WhatsApp.
Content creator and researcher, Plot Mhako, said: “Always seek permission first, copyright exists for a reason, and using another artist’s work without consent is legally and ethically wrong.
“Regardless of intention, it can lead to costly legal battles and reputational damage.”
Another researcher and author, Marshall Shonhai, in a post, said:
“I’m surprised it took six years to do this. I don’t understand why people are mad and throwing their toys out of their cot.
“There are many other local songs that should be struck by copyright law as well.
“You can’t just take another artist’s song and do as you please with it. There are laws against that regardless of our ignorance of the fact.
“Sometime in 2021, singer and songwriter Tracy Chapman sued rapper Nicki Minaj saying in a 2018 lawsuit that Minaj’s song ‘Sorry,’ a collaboration with Nas, used both the lyrics and vocal melody from one of Chapman’s songs, ‘Baby Can I Hold You,’ which was released in 1988.
“According to Chapman’s suit, Minaj’s team sent a formal request in July 2018 to use Chapman’s song, noting that Minaj intended to ‘interpolate’ Chapman’s work (that is, rerecord the melody and lyrics of the song, rather than sample Chapman’s existing recording).
“Chapman’s publishing representatives turned down the request days later.”
Mbira artist Lioness Nyamazana, who is a member of Zimbabwe Music Rights Association, said:
“What Jah Signal’s team did is wrong and it serves as a warning to other lazy artists doing the same.
“If it was a folklore song, we could understand it but this track was written by someone who is still alive,” she said.