Alick Macheso Defends Unconventional Album Release Strategy
Sungura legend Alick Macheso has finally revealed why he is releasing his new album Kupa Kuturika using a method popularised by renowned Zimdancehall musician Winky D.
Unlike his previous albums, this latest release has not been made available in full on his official YouTube channel, nor was it distributed as a CD. Instead, Macheso and his management opted to release the album on YouTube in dribs and drabs.
Also read: Alick Macheso Finally Clears the Air After Grabbing Fan’s Nyash During Live Show
Why the Album Is Unavailable on YouTube in Full
Macheso explained to H-Metro that this decision was both a marketing and anti-piracy strategy.
“My management came up with this strategy. We sat down and agreed to release the album that way. It’s our marketing strategy, and we decided to release the songs on intervals. Our true fans are not even mad with this decision, it’s those that want to reap where they did no sow. They already had thousands of blank CDs and flash discs on the day of our album launch, tinenge tichitovaziva vamwe vacho. The pirating machines were already on standby, and the idea was for one to just get a CD at the launch and then come back to make a killing at the launch,” Macheso said.
Also read: Watch: Minister Tino Machakaire Gifts Sungura Legend Alick Macheso US$10K at His 13th Album Launch
Addressing Accusations of an Unfinished Album
Macheso acknowledged that this approach has led to some criticism, with some accusing him of not completing the album. However, he dismissed these notions, stating that the album was ready before the launch and that he is now focused on the future rather than paying attention to such comments.
“I have heard about that, hanzi hee hakuna haasati apedza but we are not going to back-off. The album was ready way before the album launch. Now we are focusing on the future and we will not pay attention to that. I also encourage fellow artists to keep focused and keep entertaining our fans,” Macheso added.
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Macheso Reveals if Unconventional Album Release Strategy is Working
When asked if the strategy of releasing one track at a time is effective, Macheso confirmed it has been beneficial. He laments that people often record his live performances and upload the content to their own YouTube channels, depriving him of the ability to monetise his work.
“Very happy, it’s paying off because we are getting something from those YouTube views. It’s not easy to record an album and go on to launch it. It needs a lot of money. Surely we can’t let people enjoy our sweat, we are now even strict with those that take videos at our live performances. They come to our shows and upload our content on their YouTube accounts while we are still on stage. On some of occasions we end up being hit by copyrights or fail to monetise our content, imagine kunzi zvinhu zvako hazvisi zvako, just imagine. So when we said we don’t want cameras at our shows anymore, unless you are an accredited journalist from a recognised media house, there was a lot of criticism. It’s the same people,” Macheso explained.
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The post G.O.A.T.S Think Alike: Macheso Explains Why He’s Releasing New Album Using Winky D’s Strategy appeared first on iHarare News.