As the digital era continues to shape the music industry, questions surrounding the authenticity of social media views have become a hot topic among Namibian artists.
With platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok and Instagram offering artists exposure, many people wonder if these views are the result of organic growth, or are artists purchasing views to fill their numbers?
In an interview with VIBEZ!, Namibian Society of Composers and Authors of Music (Nascam) board chairperson Sula Kyababa shed light on a critical issue many local musicians are grappling with – the inability to earn monetary rewards from their online views.
The problem? A much-needed copyright Bill, first introduced six years ago, has yet to be passed into law, leaving artists with no clear path to get compensation for their digital success.
Nascam proposed the Bill to ensure that artists receive fair payment based on their views and online plays. However, Kyababa said, the Bill is still stuck in the legislature, and the previous system has expired, leaving a void in the compensation structure for Namibian musicians.
“There are social media terminologies that are used such as organic views and non-organic views. Organic views refer to when content is marketed without buying views, while non-organic views are those purchased online. The question remains: are our content-creators marketing their music, or simply buying their way to the top?” he asked.
While online platforms allow for vast reach, artists are left wondering if the views they are generating are authentic or artificially generated. With no direct link to compensation for views yet established in law, many artists face the harsh reality of not receiving a dime for their online content.
“For artists, keep on doing your work, we see you and we recognise you, but please don’t buy views. Market your music or content, and use organic view because it will guide you on where you should improve, and how you are doing in terms of your content or music,” he said.
Nascam has a relationship with CAPASSO, a Digital Rights Licensing Agency based in Johannesburg South Africa, which collects and distributes royalties to its member’s music publishers and composers.
Platforms such as Veefly YouTube Promotion Services help YouTubers start their YouTube promotions with just $10.
Artists such as DJ Vuyo, Kalux and Ms Gideon hit a million views last year.
Panduleni Gideon, better known as Ms Gideon said she hit a million views last year because people appreciate her music.
“I don’t know how to explain this, but I do not know how organic and non-organic works. For me, I just upload my music and start sharing,” she said.
Ms Gideon released ‘Home’, featuring Gazza, and it hit 1.1 million views in two months.
She added that she writes music that people can relate to, and when she was writing ‘Home’, she wanted a hit that people could vibe to in December and also remind them that they are loved at home.
Namibia’s international artist Eric Sell, better known as EES said, if artists are not getting paid for the art that they publish on social media, it’s baffling because the industry has just changed, and artists need to adopt and find new ways to make money.
He added that social media in itself is an ever-changing platform. So, if one has a lot of followers, then the artist should find other external sources that generate money for the exposure the artist has on social media, as complaining does not change anything.
“Buying views is very unauthentic, and I do not really agree with that and I would also not advise any artist to do that, because it can be debunked really quickly for anyone in the industry will quickly see that it’s fake views. On the other hand, paying YouTube to promote your video is another way for it to be seen by more people. I think it’s really clever, and strongly suggest that they do that. But in that one, no artist in Namibia has the budget to quickly get a million views the real way because that is very expensive,” he said.
On the one hand, he is very happy that Namibian local music is thriving, meaning a lot of Namibians listen to local music. “That is very important for the local industry, and makes me very proud. On the other hand, I am very skeptical about these views, as some of them seem too good to be true, meaning it feels there could be a lot of fake views that artists buy to then use the “one-million views” as a marketing strategy,” he said.
-pmukokobi@nepc.com.na