Zim online store wants to ‘put local artists first’

So says OyOs Music senior project manager Pearson Pfavayi, who during the online store’s launch party in Harare last month noted that the company was combating the scourge of piracy in Zimbabwe.

OyOs has been positioned as a competitor of Jive Zimbabwe, a similar music store that was launched in 2012. The difference between the two companies is that Jive is focussed on ringtones and caller tunes through services such as Buddie Beatz and Teletunes, whereas OyOs gives users the option to buy songs. 

OyOs, which opened its doors for business in February this year, is partnering with Zimbabwean radio station Star FM. Last month’s official launch also served to “sign contracts with various artists and studios”.

Pfavayi said the platform was aimed at changing the “mind-sets of Zimbabweans and ridding the streets of illegal vendors, allowing artists to reap profits from their hard work”.

Sandra Ndebele, Tamy, Tererayi Mugwadi, Ngoni Kambarami and Nesto are among the top artists whose music has been uploaded for sale on OyOs.

“OyOs gets five artists walking in every day to sign up and there are also artists approaching the brand via email,” Pfavayi said.  

OyOs announced last month that it had made its first round of quarterly payments to artists. Musicians who are signed up to the online platform receive 70% of all sales while the remaining 30% is split between OyOs and Star FM. The radio station’s role in the partnership is to play the music of artists who are on the OyOs platform for publicity purposes.   

“The main aim is to put our local artists on the map through various means such as putting them on radio, which is made possible by our partner Star FM,” Pfavayi said.

He also emphasised the necessity of creating a sustainable stream of income for artists. “Ultimately we want our artists to compete with other international musicians and make money from these music downloads. OyOs Music is a niche market that focuses only on local home-grown music and not the international market,” Pfavayi said.

Visit OyOs music here.