A dispute is growing in the South African music industry over the way music piracy is being tackled there. As part of that dispute a group of four musicians and producers have caused a fuss at a meeting of the country's main record label trade body, RiSA, where they demanded that the association's chairman, SonyBMG Africa's CEO Keith Lister, resign from the role. They are now threatening to stage a very public protest at the main South African music awards next year.
The protestors are angry that Lister is refusing to support an artist led anti-piracy group called Operation Dudula. One of the artists involved in the protest, Mzwakhe Mbuli, told reporters: "Our presence here clearly demonstrates our dissatisfaction and vote of no confidence in Lister. He is a dictator, naïve and must resign or face public humiliation".
However, Lister told Billboard that Operation Dudula used non-legitimate and at times violent methods to tackle the piracy problem, and that is why he will not let RiSA support its activity.
Lister: "Operation Dudula is a vigilante group, albeit one which reflects the real frustration of artists at the high and rampant level of piracy in our country. They operate illegally. They have forced their way into various premises. They carry out raids, which have led to the assault of individuals, the seizure of goods without any form of judicial process and the vandalisation of hawkers' stalls, and the destruction of allegedly pirated product without any sort of due process. Beating people up is not an option. Pirates are criminals. If they come to associate anti-piracy work with violence, they will fight back. We cannot expose our employees to that increased danger".
All that said, Operaton Dudula does have some support in the major label arena. Billboard quote EMI South Africa's MD, Irving Schlosberg, as saying: "Mzwakhe gave his assurance that [his] organisation was not linked to violence. EMI will always support any legitimate organisation that takes a position on anti-piracy. Mzwakhe had advised that Operation Dudula has the support of the government and, on this basis, I said that EMI would support this". Of course EMI might have a slightly different opinion on all this because Mbuli is signed to a label they own.