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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 clearance for the show to be held.

The event is being hosted by Kayse Connect and will be streamed live only on Gateway Stream Music through pay per view (PPV).

Kayse Connect spokesperson, Elton Kurima confirmed the new development.

“We’ve held meetings with police and other relative authorities who have cleared us to host the show. But, 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 and we’ll have the same masters of ceremony led by Star FM radio presenter Kudzai Violet Gwara (KVG).”

Kurima said the show will be held over three hours adding that they were sad that the public will not be allowed to watch the show physically.

“We had planned to have about 100 people (at the venue) 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 they were glad to have partnered with Kayse Connect in bringing the artistes closer to their audiences.

He said their application was 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.

“PPV enables fans to buy tickets and attend shows online from the comfort of their homes 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,” Makambira 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. This is unlike other free live streaming apps where they do not earn any money from the live performances.

“On YouTube, one has to reach one million views to earn a paycheck, but Gateway Stream Music ensures artists get paid for any airplay and receive their money immediately.” – Harare Bureau