YES! MAM’s Digital Studio

The Musicians association of Malawi (MAM), announced that it has established its Digital Music Recording Studio.
This is a courtesy of the Royal Norwegian Embassy that is assisting Malawi’s Support Scheme through the Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA).
To borrow words of MAM’s treasurer San Msokera alias San B the-K1 million-Studio has sophisticated equipment.
He says the studio is going to make musicians move away from dependence. I will get back to this fact.
But before I do, I want to totally agree with San B who says the Studio is not different from any other studio, only that it draws its strength the professional hands that will be managing it.
It is these hands that produce high music quality.
San B says a studio may have sophisticated equipment but what matters in the end is the final product.
Now this is where I want to disagree.
High quality final product alone cannot make the musicians move away from dependence syndrome.
Only when a musician in Malawi can manage to release a single track and still manage to accumulate wealth as is the case would we say the MAM studio is worth it.
You will bear with me, but I like looking at artists like the Late Stonard Lungu. Would one take the music that he did as mediocre? I do not think so...I still believe that by our cultural, musical and quality standard, Stonard Lungu should not have died a pauper...He should not have gone on stage to sing for money that he would use for his cancer therapy.
Therefore, merely having of a studio is not ‘ENOUGH’ in itself MAM. Musicians are supposed to be protected from all abuse.
I can agree that I am jumping the gun...Perhaps the question would be how the studio will operate. How will the membership benefit from the venture? Who will be eligible to utilise the facility?
I have known how the association squabble over a number of things including gate collections.
The association does not even agree on how to utilise musical equipment that they have, what modalities would they lay down therefore to ensure that the facility really start doing what a normal studio, for a normal musical organisation should achieve.
Without creating any work plan on how best to utilise this facility, i can declare here without fear or favour that this studio is not going to last.
The association also does not have a vibrant secretariat which has to mind administrative affairs of the association which is another problem that enforces my declaration that it’s not going to last.
At the moment, the association goes to an Annual general Meeting where it elects its office bearers. What happens in this case is that when the terms of office holders expire they would still cling to their positions and then fighting rocks the body.
Now with the studio, it is clear that those the facility has found while holding positions at the moment, will never allow going. Just wait!
Feedback: drummingpen@columnist.com