Musician: Impact of piracy discouraging

 By HENRY PANBUAI

MANY singers and composers are losing out on royalties for their work because of the extent of piracy in the country, musician Bradley Ralewa says.

He said the impact of piracy was discouraging for aspiring and established musicians and producers.

“We rely a lot on the income generated from our music but now with the problem of piracy in the country, the industry is facing hard times,” he said.

“Back in the old day, the only time you could hear a song was through purchase of cassettes at the shops. Those were the times when artistes did make money.

“Now that (accessories such as) Bluetooth, flash drives and playback devices are available, the artists are losing out on their products.

“It’s demoralising at times (knowing that people are receiving music without paying) but my passion for music is so great that I continue what I love doing as it is my bread and butter.”

He entered the music industry in November 2011 with his chart-topping hit Touch the sky and has since produced beats for musicians such as Honlly Isaac of Jokema. 

He has collaborated with groups such as CMB.

CMB singer Michael Pohonhelan agrees that since the introduction of social applications such as whatsapp, people had stopped buying albums at shops.

He said it has allowed people to share music. 

“Now with whatsapp, people can send music to each other without having to pay. This is just a slap in the face for those of us that work so hard to make music,” he said.