Veteran reggae musician Ras Sheehama has urged his fans not to buy any of his songs on any digital platform because he has not seen any profit from it.
With over 28 years in the music business, the reggae icon revealed to VIBEZ! that he knows little about the new way of selling music online, but feels cheated as he gave his publishing rights to a company in South Africa, African Cream Music, some time ago.
“Recently, I viewed how I am performing on those platforms and saw I was not doing bad. I understand people get paid but not as I’m supposed to. I spoke to the manager of African Cream, and he said he does not sell music anymore; he only sold physical copies. So, I decided to warn people out there to stop buying my work on these platforms,” he said.
Sheehama has since decided to get somebody who knows about the online sales business that can represent him in terms of tracking how his music has been doing online in terms of generating revenue.
“To be frank, I can’t remember when my music was loaded for online selling purposes; it could be there now for years. We from the older generation are not equipped with this technology, especially me. I come across people telling me they bought ‘Inotila’ etc. for some dollars. I found out somewhere that I might have missed something. So for now, don’t buy my music online until I sort it out,” he urged.
Sheehama, however, implored fans to still view or listen to his songs online.
His past dealings have perhaps made it possible to find his music online.
“They could have put out the songs on their own.
For example, there is a company in France that is selling my album ‘Watch Over Us’, which I recorded there. A Namibian guy representing me there might have done so, but I’m busy sorting that out and ironing things out.”
The 2012 NAMA lifetime achievement winner feels the evolution of music is good as times have changed, making music more accessible for people.
“If we stay old school, to whom are we going to sell CDs nowadays? People don’t buy CDs anymore, they are using USBs, Bluetooth to get your music. There is no question about it; adapt to the new way of purchasing music because fans don’t want to struggle to get your music.”
Sheehama, who has over 15 albums, would now also like to work with a company here that can distribute his music online.
The Afro-Reggae singer/songwriter revealed that he will be releasing something different this year after only putting out singles the past three years.
“I’m going to the studio soon. By July, I should have what I call a mini album; not an album that has 12 tracks but eight tracks,” he concluded.
African Cream Music was established in 2001 to celebrate both traditional and contemporary African music and share it with the world.
They focus on finding the best quality artists, music and songs from across the continent, and curating superbly produced, and stylishly-presented albums for a discerning global market, collecting a host of prestigious awards in the process. - slunyangwe@nepc.com.na