Online Zimbabwean, South African music shop launched

Online Zimbabwean, South African music shop launched

• Brickz, Malaika lead SAMAs nominations

• Bongo Maffin storm back

• Alaska cap fine year for Kalawa Jazmee

• Oskido keeps Brenda Fassie fans guessing

• Music Review: Mzekezeke takes his bow, the cult grows

• Music Review: Thebe and Spikiri rock

• Oskido: watching a master at work

• Zim cops seize copies of 'subversive book'

• Music Review: Arthur returns with happy album

By Showbiz Reporter

THE first online Zimbabwean music and video shop has been launched in England.

Expomusique.com will sell Zimbabwean, South African and Rhumba music.

"The launch represents our Phase One effort in putting our music, distinctive African music, on the international music platform," said Petra Makoni, the shop's operations manager.

She added: "The launch of Expomisque.com is probably a natural progression. Western music has been on the net for several years now, and most recently as downloads . Yet, for African music we didn’t have even the hard copy music as late as yesterday. The migration of our people into the West has thus proffered demand for online stores such as Expomusique.com."

Makoni said the target was to sell at least 85 percent of old and new albums by Zimbabwean and South African artists by year end, followed by the sale of music DVDs.

She said: "Using the feedback we are getting form our customers everyday, work on Phase Two has already begun and it is scheduled to be completed by June this year. Phase Two will carry about 85% of all albums ever produced in Zimbabwe and South Africa, together with better sampling options. That means customers will be able to sample every track on an album with a much longer playing time than the current thirty seconds.

"By year end, we would have gone on our Phase Three which will be denoted by the inclusion of DVDs and music download options."

The website which went online two weeks ago allows visitors to log in, sample and buy CDs.

Makoni said Expomusique.com would help many people in the Diaspora were being forced to copy CDs because they could not find the originals. However, she also noted that there were some people who were burning CDs and selling them on the cheap, without the artists getting any returns.

She said: "Most of our artists our endowed with creativity , talent and virtues of hard work. But despite all this, they are poor and struggling. Please let's not compound their woes by burning and passing on materials of their sweat to our friends and families without paying a dime for their creativity. It's not only wrong and criminal, it immoral as well!"

You can visit the Expomusique.com website HERE or call +44 (0) 9108 210 988 . You can also e-mail them at: email info@expomuisque.com
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
shapiro@newzimbabwe.com