South Africa’s music industry is financially bleeding due to an increase in piracy since the start of a five-week lockdown designed to contain the coronavirus pandemic, a music industry official said on Thursday.
According to the Recording Industry of South Africa (RISA) chief executive Nhlanhla Sibisi, the country’s Top 40 hits were legally downloaded the most in the period preceding the lockdown before taking a dive since the week after the imposition of the lockdown.
South Africa has been on a nationwide lockdown since March 27.
“People are sharing music on WhatsApp platforms, on Instagram or various other platforms without understanding the consequences this has, especially on the musicians, who spend lots of time and money recording and delivering quality music,” Sibisi said.
Sibisi pleaded with South Africans to desist from music piracy, a practice he said did not only affect the musicians but the country’s economy as a whole.
Apart from losing revenue to piracy, the music artistes are also losing money due to the ban on the holding of public events like concerts, which are their greatest sources of income, the official said.
NM/jn/APA