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Bruce Ndlovu
Last week, Zimbabwe was abuzz with news of the release of Oliver Mtukudzia��s 65th album, which was hailed as the veteran artistea��s latest show of strength and stamina in a career that has taken up most of the 64 years he has been on earth.
Despite the pomp and fanfare, Tuku took a brief moment to fire a salvo at the 21st century artistea��s eternal foe, piracy as his album has already been on the market before its official debut.
This was after the veteran musiciana��s new album, Eheka! Nhai Yawhe, found itself on the streets weeks before its release.
a�?I am sure there are a lot more important issues that we can discuss other than this. I do not know who did it and I do not plan to go on a witch-hunt to find out who did it. None of that matters. I cannot say whether or not this will affect album sales since the album was only released last week,a�? said Tukua��s manager Sam Mataure.
Not everyone has Mataurea��s carefree attitude when it comes to leaks, with many international labels and artistes pursuing legal action should they occur.
But how exactly do leaks happen?
Leaks are usually caused by people that have access to the album before ita��s officially up for sale.
Journalists and music critics usually get projects a few days or weeks before a release, so as to give them ample time to listen and review it. This is done so that the reviews coincide with the actual release of the album. Radio DJs have also been the source of leaks, as artistes will take their albums for radio premieres before they are officially out.
Making a physical CD is also a long process and it can be leaked at various points before the intended release date.
The finger has also been pointed at interns at record labels and studios, who mostly do it for financial gain.
In the era where record sales matter less than bodies at live concerts, artistes have been known to leak their own records to test the reaction of the market, and find out which songs are likely to impress fans during live shows.
derick.khumalo