Especially for our Ethiopia artists! Sources told me that Zeritu was paid a flat rate of 13,000$ for distribution rights in North America and Europe of her new album. That was big for someone new but small in comparison to what possible profits it would have made if all copies of her CD’s were to be sold individually.
The company that paid for the distribution rights claims that the sales Zeritu’s new album was significantly less than what they expected. Most of us have heard album but a lot of us have not paid to get the album. Right after the release in the United States, her music was everywhere. Some people even brought copies from Ethiopia and distibuted to family and friends.
Since CD sales have decreased significantly in the last two years most of the distributors are turning to DVD video to make their money. DVD video are encrypted thus cannot be copied. Even that in some cases infringed upon to make copies illegally and sold. As we have seen in the case of Mogzitwa the film.
Sources also tell me that the payment for new artists next albums distribution rights will be a lot less than what Zeritu was paid, since there is no way to enforce the sharing of music online. Thus, I’m against music sharing especially for Ethiopian music. We are not stealing from Virgin and Arista records.
We are only hurting our artists and our music. Stop Sharing.
Published by March 28th, 2006 in Music.
Nolawi, do you know for sure that the reason for the low sales is as a result of sharing or could it be that the quality of music coming out od Addis is so bland that its driving away the consumers here? I would like to see figures to back up your assertion.
By the way, I do have Zeritu’s original cd, and to tell you the truth I did not like it.
It’s not like they make money from the album sales anyway. The only way artist like these make money is through their live performances. Music sharing is an excelent way to promote an artist, especially if they have little to no promotional budget. The more people that have herd an artist music will increase the attendence at their live performances and the amount of money they actually make.
Jazz, I did not like it either; but it was marketed well, the pre realease talks in DC was high thus he thought it would be sold much more than actuall. It is a well known fact that music sharing affects the sale of CDs. My assertion is based on what the distributor told me. I dont have figures; i assume noone could actually give figures on the affect of sale due to sharing.
But it is a weel known fact that sales of ethiopian music in the past two years had decreased significantly. including the old stuff like tilahune and mohammad.
Nolawi, I get what you’re saying. Maybe its time most distibutors change the way they do their marketing. Why do they concentrate only in the Abesha market? An exception to this rule is Amman Adinew (AIT.)Why is it a series like Ethiopiques, which at last count has 21 volumes, is so succesful? I’ll tell you why. The series producer concentrated his market to the Europeans and Americans. As for Mahmoud and Tilahun, it will suprise you that Ethiopiques 6, 7(both Mahmoud Ahmed)and 17 (Tilahun Gesesse) are doing exceptionally well in terms of sales.
obviously the marketing is amatuerish by world standards… but there are people like GG; Chachi in the caribean market… Wayna in the african american market in DC….
in the case of zeritu..the amount she was paid is measely .. they probably would have to spend a lot more to market globally..it was a home operation… also you are right the music is sub par to compete in the global market…
the ethiopique collection is just that excellent music
Nolawi, you are ignoring the fact that artist (Abesha or any other ethnicity) generally do not make any money from actual record sales. This is true in the music industry world wide and has nothing to do with the internet. Unless and artist sell 1 million units and depending on the amount of advance money they accepted, only then will an artist start getting royalty checks in the mail. I currently work and have for the last 9 years in the entertainment industry. part of my job is hadling the contracts that these artist actually sign. I know royalty rates, points and how much of an advance certain artist have received. The mass majority of them arn’t making any money. In fact, most of them are in debt to the record company they are signed to. This has been the case since the inception of the music industry. The internet has only given these companies another excuse to not pay out royalties. They only way an artist really makes money (other than selling over a million units) is by live performances. Why do you think Teddy Afro charges $250.000 to do 10 shows? Because he knows he isn’t going to make any money from record sells. The only thing he gets from releasing an album is the possibility of more fans to see him live (minus any philosophical intentions)
Point taken, I’m not ignoring that fact. I agree. It might not affect the artist that much but it affects the distributor, doesnt it? The distributor is different from the promoter of the live shows. Doesnt the fact that the distibutor not making as much money as before indirectly affect the music industry as a whole. Generally I agree with you, its just hard for me to see that the ethiopian music industry is not much different than the world music industry.
The lack of protection for intellectual properties in general stifles creativity and the spirit of entrepreneurship. This is not confined to the music industry but also to such industries as software, manufacturing, and, other businesses in general. If you open up a ?qolo shop?, the next morning u will find 10 similar businesses next to your shop. Unfortunately for artists, I see no easy way of stopping the distribution of illegal music. Perhaps, all we can do is teach music fans to show appreciation by paying for what they enjoy.
Music was meant to be free in the first place. This is just part of the
karma of enslaving it in the first place. I mean it does make you
feel kind of guilty if you actually beleive that you are effecting the artists/slaves income… you don’t alleviate that problem by payin’ the slave master though.
Heck, I might just start downlading albums, and if I like it, send the artist a 5 dollar money order DIRECTLY.
i think ethio albums are expensive selling about 15-18 dollars! since most ethiopians make 7 per hour cd’s shouldn’t cost more than that!. if it is cheap enough lots of people would buy the orginal CD. otherwise, most will just ask copy from others and lost sales opportunity increases. again, ethio CD’s are overpriced!
“DVD video are encrypted thus cannot be copied”?!? Please. Just google around for the tools, legit too.
Zeritu’s album is mediocre, but nothing wrong with that she’s on her first album so given what others make (even the more famous ones) 13k is not bad. Especially since the distribution is limited to Ethio. markets, not HMVs or Towers.
I have no problem sharing music or video (I won’t sell it, but i’ll share it), I think just like anyone else they ought to earn their money with hard work ie. concerts. The CD itself is just a marketing vehicle, not an ATM machine. They need to come out perform, earn the hard $$ that I earned doing hard work.
It’s ludicrous to think otherwise, in this age of 30GB ipod and “Yahoo Unlimited Music”, don’t bet on copyrights laws or technology to save you from the inevitable. Your music will be out and about, shared and distrbuted like the air we breath, the water we drink. Get on board or perish.
yes DVD cant be copied, since encrypted… but in rare cases they have found a way to copy it.. ie it happened to Mogzitwa the movie in canada. you might not be familiar with the case.. http://www.daaap.org/ see the artcle in the buisness section..
http://zethiopia.com/issues/39/39.pdf
Nolawi
thanks for bringing up the fading tradition of Addis Amet, and that is the drawing kids distribute at New Years, that used to be Keremt long project for me and my friends when I was in Ethiopia. now a days I feel like its not what it used to be. we should really try to install it abroad, to the children growing up here. It is one of my favorite childhood memories.
Thanks again for refreshing my memory
Cheers