Substandard DVD irks Skeffa’s fans

Musician Skeffa Chimoto last weekend launched his Chikondi DVD in Lilongwe, Mzuzu and at Robin’s Park in Blantyre.

For entry into the venue plus a free copy of the DVD, patrons coughed a K2 500 (about $5.4) entry fee.

But what irked most patrons was the substandard quality of the DVD that was being given away at the launch.

The DVD was packaged in a cheap sachet-like paper and the printable disc inside was not professionally printed as is the case, but it had a handwritten inscription of Skeffa’s name, which prompted one patron, Greyson Chapita, to rant on Facebook, expressing his disappointment with the quality of the DVD.

“…when I got the DVD at Robin’s, I was so excited, but trust me, the excitement is all gone now looking at the quality of this thing you call a DVD. Imagine this is an artist who has been moaning and groaning over piracy and all he could give us was a burned DVD with such a mediocre appearance.

“It’s as if I got the DVD from these sharks in town where they burn music. This is so ordinary not befitting an artist of Skeffa’s calibre. And you tell me that musicians in the country have been crying for recognition with such a poor showing? Geez! This is so cheap,” read an extract from the post by the fan.

But in an interview with The Nation yesterday, Skeffa defended his move, explaining that he deliberately omitted the graphic print on the DVD because pirates always copy the designs to make their own copies.

“I even made an announcement before the show that the DVDs were like that deliberately to counter piracy. That has been made to make a distinction between the two,” said Skeffa.

He said although the quality of the content is being questioned by other commentators, he cannot satisfy everyone.

“Even when we are making these DVDs or music we are aware that some people will not like our work while others will,” said the Chinamuluma Chakuda hit maker.