HARARE - Local music is proving to be popular on the newly launched Telecel Teletunes services, said the telecommunications company’s public relations executive Francis Chimanda.

In an interview with the Daily News, Chimanda said since they started Teletunes, local music has been the highest on demand.

“Local music has exceeded our expectations and is increasingly proving more popular than international songs. We cannot give exact details in terms of how many downloads are being made over specific periods or which song is more popular than the rest. We are working to improve the range of local content but we have to ensure our partners sign all the necessary contracts first before we make the content available."

“There has been a lot of excitement around the Teletunes service. To date several local artistes have signed in with more wanting to join the service,” he said.

Chimanda further explained how the service works.

“Teletunes has introduced differential charging which allows Teletunes subscribers to select tunes over short and long periods ranging from one to 30 days. This makes the service more affordable and allows subscribers the flexibility to change songs as frequently as they want."

“Short codes to the various Teletunes are available on our Facebook page as well as our website.
Pamphlets with the codes are available at our shops. Teletunes has also been communicated via viral SMS, the copy feature which allows subscribers dialling a Teletunes user to copy the song they are hearing and the out dialler service which will give subscribers the chance to listen to sample songs,” he said.

Musicians and producers expressed happiness over the newly introduced system saying if all goes well it will improve the artiste’s lifestyle.

Joe Machingura executive producer at Heshi Mfeshi studios said, “Any service that helps the artist’s welfare is appreciated. We hope it will fully benefit the musicians and help improve their lifestyles.
“Right now musicians are depending on shows and the money is not enough."

“Being an artist is a very difficult job as it involves creativity and those creative juices do not flow when things are not in order. All these initiatives that are being introduced are welcome and we hope it will benefit us accordingly,” he said.

Chimanda said artistes will benefit as their music will not be exploited.

“It is important to note that any song that is subscribed to is not physically downloaded onto the subscriber’s phone. It will remain sitting on the external platform for the duration of the subscription.
“When the subscription expires, the tune ceases to be available to the subscriber."

“This means a selected Teletune cannot be forwarded to another subscriber via SMS and therefore there is no possibility of piracy. However, if a subscriber wants to buy a Teletune for another subscriber on the Telecel network, this is possible."

“They simply have to follow the simple instructions but all other conditions remain the same,” said Chimanda.