The “Best of both worlds” show which was stopped at the eleventh hour two weeks ago is now set to be held this Saturday following approval from the relevant authorities.
However, there will be no crowd when the two stars perform at the HICC and fans will only access the show online. The police and National Arts Council of Zimbabwe have both given the greenlight for the show to be held.
The event is being hosted by Kayse Connect and will be streamed live only on Gateway Stream Music as pay per view (PPV). Kayse Connect spokesperson Elton Kurima confirmed the show is on.
“We have held meetings with police and other relative authorities who have cleared us to host the show but now as agreed it will only be held virtually with no attendees except for the technical team,” he said.
“Nothing has changed, the PPV is US$2 and those who had paid and were not reimbursed will still get the new link for viewing the show. “The show will be held under Covid-19 restrictions and guidelines. We will have the same masters of ceremony led by Star FM radio presenter Kudzai Violet Gwara (KVG). They have already been paid up front. The show will last for three hours and no fan is allowed in the auditorium except the technical team,” he said.
“We had planned to have about 100 people but due to the nature of the artists, the fans were too demanding and it was difficult to control them, especially with Covid-19 situation. So we have resolved with the authorities to have the event virtually,” he said.
Over 70 people had paid to watch the show live from HICC two weeks ago while over 2 000 had paid to watch on pay-per-view.
Gateway Stream Music project manager Ishe Makambira said their application is the first (PPV) platform in Zimbabwe. “Pay Per View is a fairly new concept in Zimbabwe which arrived on our doorsteps due to the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. It enables the artists to get back to work as currently they cannot host live shows where fans physically attend,” he said.
“PPV enables fans to buy tickets and attend shows online from the comfort of their home or any location with access to internet connectivity through live streaming. PPV is priced at a fraction of the cost of the normal physical shows,” he said.
He said the concept of the Gateway Stream Music web and mobile application is premised on the need to empower artists. “Our App gives artists the opportunity to earn an income from live streaming their shows using the PPV platform which is within the App. Unlike other free live streaming where they do not earn any money from the live performance. For YouTube one has to reach 1 million views to earn a paycheck but Gateway Stream Music ensures artists get paid for any airplay and receive their money immediately.
“To make the concert more interesting almost everyone can now watch and also request a song from the two artists,” he said.
