Macheso, Moyo Deadlocked At Music Awards
Arch-Rivals Alick Macheso and Tongai Moyo last night scooped triple platinum awards for their album sales, throwing wide open the ongoing debate on who exactly is the “king of sungura”.
The albums considered for the awards are Dhewa’s Naye and Macheso’s Vapupuri Pupurai. Fifteen other musicians walked away with gold and platinum awards for albums released in 2005 and 2006 at the event which was revived this year by Gramma Records, Zimbabwe Music Corporation and Ngaavongwe Records.
Ten artistes struck gold, five got platinum, two were awarded triple platinum, bringing to 17 the total number of awards at the glittering ceremony held at the Rainbow 7 Arts Theatre last night. Sales of more than 15 000 copies attract gold, while platinum is reserved for sales exceeding 60 000 copies. Triple platinum winners are those who sell more than 180 000 copies, and this is where Macheso and Moyo proved they were in a class of their own. Mercy Mutsvene’s Handingabvumi won platinum, making her the new gospel queen after eclipsing Amai Olivia Charamba, Fungisai Zvakavapano-Mashavave and Shingisai Suluma whose albums The Gospel, Tawananyasha and Tatenda Taona achieved gold.
Mutsvene becomes the first female singer in the history of the awards to achieve platinum status. Macheso’s “copycats” — Somandla Ndebele and Njerama Boys - each scooped platinum and gold for their albums. Ndebele’s album Makobvu Nematete, probably his best to date, and Njerama Boys’ Masimba Towedzera achieved platinum status with Chidamoyo (Ndebele) and Zvave Muropa (Njerama Boys) landing gold.
Nicholas Zakaria received gold for Mbuva Yeupenyu and platinum for Chiedza while Leonard Zhakata (Tinevimbo), the late Leonard Dembo (The Best of), Allan Chimbetu (Sonny) and ZCC Mbungo Hotline (Ndashaiwa Paumire) attained gold status.
If the awards are based on actual sales, then it puts to bed the raging debate as to who rules as record sales are probably the best barometer for greatness. But the problem is that the actual sales figures were not given, thus leaving fans guessing. This writer believes the public have a right to know the actual number of albums sold by each artiste. As it is, the awards imply that the contest was a draw.
In other words, there was no outright winner. But let me pose this question: Is it too much to ask the record companies to give us the figures down to the last digit?
I’m sure this would also be extremely helpful when the artistes vie for honours in the Nama and Zima awards. The same applies to the weekly charts released by the two recording giants. Are they conclusive or are they subject to the whims of the record companies?
Take Zhakata’s Tinevimbo, for example. It featured briefly on the charts, yet Gift Amuli’s Munombozvigona Sei? is still riding high right up to this day. But Amuli was conspicuous by his absence from the list of award winners. The mind boggles!
[Via The Herald]
