INTERNATIONALLY acclaimed Zimbabwean gospel outfit, Joyful Praise Choir, had one of their songs tittled, Ngoro Yeminana (2018) pulled down from YouTube this year, over copyright infringement claims by Zig Zag band.
According to availed facts, the multiple award winning and globetrotting gospel music company was formally engaged to resolved the matter more than a year ago, but opted to ignore the call.
In a statement, Zig Zag band said had Joyful Praise Choir accepted to resolve the issue in a dignified and diplomatic way all this would have remained under the wrap.
"The long and short of it is we went for a head-on collission with Joyful Praise Choir over infringement of Zig Zag Band's song "Gomo Ramasare (1987)" which had some of its lines used to compose the song Ngoro Yeminana (2018).
"To everyone's suprise, Joyful Praise Choir was adamant and paid a deaf ear to a dignified engagement we made," said Zig Zag Band agent, Misheck Donovan Chikamba-Chiyangwa.
The agent is also son to Fabian Chikamba Chiyangwa, one of the founders and original band members. Fabian served Zig Zag band from 1981 to 1996 as a vocalist and bass guitarist.
Chiyangwa said, "In 2022, l reached out to one Rudo Madindi, Joyful Praise Choir, lead vocalist over the song and she agreed to a meeting. Unfortunately, she changed her mind at the last minute and we never met.
The agent said, "After the Charamba and Jah Signal debacle on Youtube I made efforts to reach out to her again. And she admited to taking lines from "Gomo Ramasare, but issue remained unresolved."
- Joyful Praise Choir in copyright infringement storm
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Joyful Praise Choir's reluctance to have the violation of copyright issue resolved privately led to the engagement of authorities as a formal procedure in demanding compensation for the illegal use of the song.
"As Zig Zag family, comprising biological children and siblings of the original Zig Zag band members and the current Zig Zag band agreed to take the issue of copyright infringement seriously. We started by initiating the pulling down of their videos from YouTube," Chiyangwa said.
"Unmoved, they remained quiet. Then we went for the pulling down of videos that had "Ngoro Yeminana" and one of them was by one Plot Mhako.
"Angry and riotous, Mr. Mhako later came to my WhatsApp and e-mail asking me to rescind my pull down and restore it to which refused."
The matter has since been brought before Zimbabwe Music Rights Association.
Meanwhile, Gomo Ramasare (1987) is one of the most popular hit songs by the Zig Zag Band, the country's most outstanding legendary music outfit of the 1980s.
