Zimbos to launch music distribution platform
JACARANDA Media Group is set to launch an on demand digital music distribution service for both local and continental artistes at the end of this month.
With the platform, artistes and record labels can publish their music in minutes from cover art to track listings.
In a joint statement, Jacaranda Media Group founders Jordan Link Mangwiro and Charles Guvamatanga said over 400 artistes from Zimbabwe, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa had signed up for the service ahead of the launch.
“The Distrohive Music platform is a one-stop shop that gives Zimbabwean and African artistes and labels international support and infrastructure while letting them retain complete control over their work through a customised artiste or label dashboard,” the statement read.
“We understand the heartbeat and the evolution of African music. We have worked in the international music arena for many years to understand that African music should be heard worldwide. Those independent labels and artiste should be able to distribute their music to a global platform on terms financially favourable to them in a very transparent manner.”
The founders said it had been a long walk to arrive at the launch, which they described as the first Zimbabwean-owned digital music distribution platform.
“When we started Jacaranda Media Group, we had seen that Zimbabwean music needed a platform to be heard globally and needed international listenership.
“Distrohive Music is just an extension of Jacaranda Media Group’s continuous improvement efforts and expansion vision we have for the Zimbabwean music industry,” they said.
“This is also a product of listening to the call from millennial artistes who want more control of their music and transparency.”
The duo said the platform also eliminated unfavourable distribution deal terms and conditions from the old-style distribution players.
“We are confident that we have built a platform stronger, better and more efficient than our global competitors. To register with Distrohive Music and start selling your music globally while growing your music career, listenership while keeping 100% of your revenue streams and copyrights, go to www.Distrohive.com,” they said.
They said platform streamlined everything from payment to statistics analysis.
“Royalties and streaming revenue earned are directed straight to the artiste’s or label’s designated bank account.
“PayPal account or Distrohive Music can deliver your earnings straight to your doorstep through its partnership with fintech remittances company Senditoo.com,” they said.
“Best of all, there are no middlemen, no signing over rights in perpetuity, no limits on how to express your creativity and no agent handling royalties and stream revenue and the fee structure is simple and favourable to the artistes.”
Mangwiro and Guvamatanga said labels and artistes kept 85% of their distribution projects.
“Distrohive Music has two fee structures, the first one charges a one-time lifetime payment fee and the second fee structure is an annual subscription fee which is more favourable for start-up artistes and labels,” they said.
“15% of your potential revenue is deducted to cover for Distrohive Music premium services such as regional and international playlisting to iTunes and Spotify, international charts registrations, artiste growth plans and exclusive webinars and workshops.”
The duo said the platform also had a royalty split feature tailormade for collaborative artistes, composers, producers, labels and financiers of the artistes music so that all parties involved in the making of music and the rightful copyright beneficiaries are paid their fair dues.
“For labels with more than 10 artistes, an associate programme is available only via application or invite.” The duo said award-winning Zimbabwean RnB star Garry Mapanzure had been enrolled as a poster boy for the service, adding that the singer and his business partner Silvaa King of Team One Love Entertainment would also assume executive roles at Distrohive Music.
“After being courted by several major record labels, the RnB sensation opted to distribute his music with Distrohive Music through his affiliation to Team One Love music,” they said.
“Like many young artistes with a dedicated fan base and an international vision, Garry Mapanzure saw it beneficial to his musical journey to align with Distrohive Music, for his music to be entered and registered into the international music charts such as the Billboards, United Kingdom and Australian music charts.”
They said seasoned producer Jusa Dementor was also coming into the Distrohive Music family as a stakeholder taking on an executive operational role.
“The enrolment of a rich industry talent into the Distrohive family shows that the platform is more than an industry player, but is set to establish itself as a legacy creator in the Zimbabwean and African music and arts fraternity,” they said.
“Nama winner Ti Gonzi has also enrolled the services of Distrohive Music, who have helped him set-up the operational structures to his new record label venture HipuHopu YekuGhetto Records.”
The pair said other significant Zimbabwean artistes who had joined or moved their legacy and old music catalogue to Distrohive Music include dancehall crooner, Freeman, Gary Tight, 8L, Mcknife, China-based Zimbabwean 5Nine, Diamond Boyz, Dino Munondo, Niceboi, Mbida Dee, UK Indie, pop crooner Farai and the Forest Dawn, Huby Blakes and Oskid, among others.