Munya Chanetsa: A Catalyst of Change in the African Music Industry

Music executive and entrepreneur, Munyaradzi Chanetsa is one of the most prominent music and entertainment moguls in Africa and the world. He not only has a passion for music but for change in Africa, especially in the music industry. During a masterclass course Munya took at the Academy of Sound Engineering in South Africa, he was shocked to find out that one of the biggest copyright infringements hail from Africa – South Africa to be precise – Mbube (The Lion Sleeps Tonight) by late Solomon Linda. In 2020, Munya made it his mission to seek justice for the Linda family, for the family to receive what rightfully belongs to them – the rights to the Mbube (The Lion Sleeps Tonight) song.

SOLOMON LINDA ‘THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT’

Solomon Linda was a singer and composer of the prominent song ‘Mbube’, which became a pop hit under the title ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’. In 1962, the singer died in poverty without receiving royalties for his work.

Linda sold the rights to his Mbube song for 10 shillings to the Gallo Record Company. At the time he sold his rights, South Africa was still a British colony. All of his rights were expected to revert to his heirs after 25 years following his passing under the Dickens Clause in British law. The rights would then be transferred to the heirs, who would then be able to renegotiate any future agreements. However, this did not occur, instead, other musicians recorded and modified Linda’s work. Pete Seeger, who was part of a singing group ‘The Weavers’ retitled the song ‘Wimoweh’, and the group recorded the song in 1952. The song became popular in America, resulting in George Weiss rewriting the song under the title ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’. The Mbube song then became ‘public domain’, with over 150 artists recording the song. However, the family of the late Solomon Linda was still not reaping the benefits of the popular song.

MUNYA CHANETSA AND THE MBUBE SONG

After learning of the Mbube copyright infringement case, Munya’s ‘Happy Endings’ concept was born. Munya was disheartened by the Mbube song copyright infringement, and how the Linda family did not get their ‘happy ending’, he wanted to ensure that the family got their ‘happy ending’ by remaking the original ‘Mbube’ song. Following the discovery of the Mbube copyright infringement, the music producer did his research and decided to do his take on the original ‘Mbube’ song, instead of the other versions. The original plan was to have the Soweto Gospel Choir be part of the project. However, that didn’t work out, resulting in the prominent all-female South African group ‘The Mahotella Queens’ (Hilda Tloubatla, Nobesuthu Mbadu, and Mildred Mangxola) being part of the project. DJ/producers Bonginkosi Bokkieult and Cuebur were also brought on board to add a contemporary sound to the remix. The remix of the Mbube song was released in September 2020, with Munya ensuring that 45% of the royalties go to the rightful owners (the Linda family). What Munya did for the Linda family not only rectifies past injustices, but educates future generations on the importance of education and vast knowledge in the music industry.

ROYALTIES BATTLES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Song rights/royalties battles are not foreign to the African continent, and globally. To this day, we still have artists coming forward about unfair treatment and battles over rights with record labels. One of the biggest reasons why such cases surface is because of a lack of information, and in some cases the non-reading of contracts. “It’s better for a record label to approach you than for you to approach them, as it gives you more grounds to negotiate contract terms and conditions”, Munya says. He further emphasizes the importance of understanding the business side of things in music. Music is more than about recording and releasing songs, it should be treated more like a business. When asked what he could change in the music industry, the music producer responded by saying that business-minded people are in need in the music industry to groom a new layer of business management in the music industry. He also added that strict regulatory systems should be put in place in the music industry to avoid such cases of copyright infringements.