Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Trust Khosa
11 July 2009
Harare — CEPHAS Mashakada has accused his stable - Gramma Records - of neglecting smaller artistes already contracted with the record label.
Mashakada, now considered a "fading giant" in some quarters, believes Gramma have already relegated him to the class of the "dying breed".
He hinted he might move to another stable once his current contract expires.
Speaking from his base in Chitungwiza early this week, Mashakada swore it would take a miracle for him to continue doing business with Gramma.
"Of course, I still have one year on my contract, but to be honest I can't hang on as it is. In short, I can't wait to see myself die silently like this.
"Last year, things were tough for us because of the economy and that is when we expected them to come to our rescue. Right now, things are getting worse for us because we are not among their priorities.
"It would have been nice if the stable could give us small loans or bonuses to motivate us. Over the years, artistes would get advances, but things have changed."
Gramma spokesperson, Helen Venganayi said it was "unfortunate" Mashakada had chosen to air his problems to the media, without engaging the record company.
"Mr Mashakada knows how to raise his complains, if he has any. He has never told us of his grievances," she said.
"If he has any, our doors are wide open. As it stands right now, there is nothing I can do to help him because he has not said anything. If he is saying we discriminate against certain artistes and favour others, who are these?"
Mashakada said his latest album had not earned him much, after falling victim to rampant piracy..
"It was a good album but it was heavily pirated and I have nothing to show for my album," he said.
"After we suffered heavily to pirates, we expected the bosses to come to our rescue. I will find time with my bosses and I would like to tell them my viewpoint.
"As you know, I still have some works I recorded with them many years ago and I want time with them over that."
Asked about his next project, Mashakada chose to be was diplomatic:
"A musician is a footballer. If one decides to join Barcelona or Manchester (United) it's up to the player to make his move.
"I will not rush into revealing the stable that I want to join because it's still early."
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 The Herald. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
