Arts and Culture on piracy in music industry

19 April 2007

A misleading impression is being created that the Department of Arts and
Culture does not care about the threat that piracy poses for South African
musicians. Over the last few years, the Department of Arts and Culture has been
aware of the efforts of various personalities and ad-hoc committees to fight
piracy and trade in counterfeited music products.

We want to state categorically that the right of South African musicians to
fair remuneration for their talent and exertions has been among the priorities
this Department has pursued since its establishment in 2004. Over the past
seven years the Department initiated the Music Industry Task Team ((MITT) whose
report and recommendations have assisted us to develop holistic strategies to
address the problems of the music industry.

Music piracy and trade in counterfeit music is symptomatic of a much larger
problem. It is a criminal offence, and as such is under the remit of the
Department of Safety and Security which carries the responsibility for
prosecuting those who break the law.

This department has also been very vocal in discouraging the illegal use of
and violation of copyright with respect to musical products. We played a
pivotal role in launching Moshito � the annual music industry exhibition,
market and forum � and the establishment of the Association of Independent
Recording Companies of South Africa (AIRCO) to deal with, amongst other things,
music piracy and the illegal trade in counterfeited music products.

Currently the Department is pursuing a vigorous programme with AIRCO not
only to raise awareness of the scourge of music piracy but also to develop much
more strategic solutions to this problem. This initiative was launched at the
recent Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Further workshops will take place
in other centres including KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West province and
the Free State.

Because it is low-key, perhaps this initiative may not have attracted media
attention like the much-vaunted "Operation Dudula," for instance. We are of the
view that the anti-piracy campaign should be an all-inclusive programme that
involves all role players.

The Department is painstakingly working behind the scenes to broker
collaborative efforts among all stakeholders. In fact, the Anti-Piracy
sub-committee chaired by Eugene Mthethwa (assisted by Harvey Roberts and Tebogo
Sithathu) has been mandated to foster unity among all stakeholders in the
effort to find solutions to the problem of piracy.

The Department believes that public education is central to eradicating
piracy. The 21st Century has witnessed the emergence of new technologies that
make copying easier and easily affordable. Thus, the best way to combat it is,
first, to educate the public that copying of music is illegal and can lead to
the trade in pirated music.

As the Department, we are committed to creating new platforms for South
African music at home through Moshito and on international music market. We are
active participants in MIDEM, which takes place annually in France, for
instance. This has enabled local music to reach a global audience. But, more
significantly, it has enlightened both our officials and musicians on how the
rest of the world is tackling the problems that confront the music
industry.

The creation of a strong and viable music industry is critical to the
Government's agenda of fighting poverty, job creation and thus promoting a
spirit of cultural self-determination and economic self-reliance among
musicians. That is why we are unwavering in our efforts to create an enabling
environment that promotes stability in the music industry and provides hope in
the lives of our artists.

This has been enhanced by well-advanced plans to establish a social security
network for all our artists, especially musicians who have been plagued by
poverty.

However, we are aware that musicians will need to be the agents of the
change that they want to see in their own lives. We consequently supported and
welcomed the formation of the South African Creative Workers Union under the
leadership of Mabutho "Kid" Sithole, the support mechanism for all our creative
workers which will champion their rights in the same manner as other unions
do.

We have provided moral support towards the effort of all our artists to
organise themselves for greater effectiveness. It is the artists themselves,
through a consistent, coherent and co-ordinated programme of action, who will
ultimately create a more favourable environment for themselves.

As the custodians of the arts, culture and heritage of our nation, we will
continue to play a strategic role towards the development of our music
industry.

Enquiries:
Sandile Memela
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Arts and Culture
Cell: 082 800 3750

Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
19 April 2007
Source: Department of Arts and Culture (http://www.dac.gov.za/)