Youth survives on music repro

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Thursday March 15, 2007 00:00

 

Kebonye Seepi is not a musician but he is earning a living from music.

He has established a small company that duplicates CDs and DVDs for local musicians. He emphasises that they are in now way pirating. His company started operating in Mahalapye in 2004 but has since moved to Gaborone. The young entrepreneur raised capital to buy equipment for his company called Phone Net Videos.  He was later assisted by the Department of Youth and Culture to ship the equipment into the country.

The idea to start a CD-producing company was conceived after a discussion with South African gospel singer, Derrick Nzimande. Relating the story, Seepi said Nzimande, who has released more than 50 albums, told him that he was only paid 30 percent for his music.
He said since that time, he felt that there was a need to help artistes produce their music. Seepi sponsored himself for an attachment with a Canadian company where he trained as a graphic artist.  After working overseas for two years, he felt confident to return home to establish his own company.

Seepi's company is offering CD and DVD duplication services for musicians and other interested parties.  Some of his clients include popular gospel singer, Phempheretlhe and other local artistes. A popular local group, the Wizards of the Desert, has just placed an order with the company.

Phoneet Video is operating from the same premises with a recording company, Real Deal Records in Block Five.  Seepi says he is also offering his services to Read Deal artistes. Explaining how he operates, he said, musicians or any customer, supplies him with the master CD to duplicate.  He said they could duplicate up to 1,000 copies.

Seepi has made it clear that they are not pirating.  He said the customers have to prove that they own the material that needs to be duplicated.  He added that the material also has to be original.

In addition, they also design the labels for the CDs. Seepi said the system that they use is equipped with an anti-piracy device.  According to him, this ensures every CD or DVD produced cannot be pirated.  He indicated that they also sign copyright contracts with clients. 'Our dealings with our customers are transparent.  We only duplicate their work but we do not distribute,' he said, adding that this ensures that no copies would be distributed without the owner's consent.

'We never encounter any problems with the artistes saying they found their CDs in the streets,' he said.

Regarding business, he said, there is a high demand for their services.  However, he said, some artistes do not have funds to pay for mass production.   In the past, he had made arrangements with artistes to pay after selling their CDs.

So far, things have been going well with this arrangement and he has had no reason 'to engage deputy sheriffs to chase after anyone'. One of the company's marketing strategies has been to offer customers flexible terms.

Seepi said since he started, there have never been queries regarding the quality of his products.  He said no customer has returned a defective CD, an indication that he is offering good quality CDs.

Seepi said they are able to deliver within a day whilst competitors in South Africa take up to two weeks.

Like every entrepreneur, Seepi would like to see his business expand. 

In future he wants to acquire bigger and better equipment and occupying more spacious offices.  The company would also expand its operations to Francistown.  Phonenet Video is still positioning itself to play a significant role in the music industry.  So far, Seepi, who dabbles on the keyboard  in his spare time,  seems to be striking the right cord.