It is so amazing what other Zimbabweans are doing out there to promote national pride. I guess once you have stayed out of Zimbabwe for a certain period of time, you start to appreciate certain things that are peculiar to Zimbabwe. I tuned in to Zimonline radio and was amazed by how for the whole hour that I was tuned in, all I could hear was local music, some of which I had not even heard before. I was so impressed. I mean, this radio station is playing more local content than our own radio stations! And it varies from sungura, to urban grooves and other genres and then other African sounds here and there. So I was listening to Dj Simba, and he played songs that I haven't heard in ages and some not even at all, and I simply couldn't turn it off because it just brought back memories and enlightened me on some of the work coming out of our very own.
It really got me thinking though, some of the content that we are putting out there makes me wonder what exactly we want to portray about Zimbabwe and our music to the international audience. I remember one of the songs that I heard was talking about facebook! It was a bit silly but funny (no offense to the artist) I don't really remember…or rather I couldn't even gather what the song was going on about but they kept repeating the word Facebook! I thought that was really catchy also maybe because it was on a ragga beat. And then I also thought to myself, what if another person who has no background of what Zimbabwean music is all about were to suddenly tune in and hear this Facebook song? What impression of Zimbabwean music would they have? And this song was followed by a series of other songs that are catchy but you would then ask, “did this person actually pay for studio time to record that?” but then again its all subject to debate as we all have different preferences. I do wish though that some of our better artists would get more airplay and get their music out there because truth be told, there is a lot of talent on the ground in Zim, and some of these artist could be discouraged to actually go out there as they do not see the rewards from actually doing so. But is that really the case or are some of our artists waiting to be fed with opportunities? I mean here in Zim, some believe that you'd have to be a Tuku or a Macheso to actually make a reasonable living out of music!
I beg to differ. I think opportunities are slowly presenting themselves for Zimbabwean artists and one should not expect them to come by themselves. Let's look at this Zimonline radio, this is a group of Zimbabweans namely Prince Chibwe, Simba and Tendai Bako in the UK and Tafadzwa Patience Mushayabasa in Australia who have embarked on a mission to put the listener first. Their product content is 60% Zim, 20% other African & 20% other countries. As an artist I would see this as an opportunity to get my music out there. I even joined the chat group on Skype and it has listeners from all over the world who are mostly Zimbabwean, and who better to buy our music than Zimbabweans abroad. By getting your music to these guys, you know that there are a large number of people out there who will know your music which expands your music distribution as your music will be in demand all over.
I have personally moved from waiting for gigs and have gone on to event creation. Through Wildfire events, we create platforms that will allow artists to showcase their music in an interesting way rather than just having a show where people come to watch you. It's also about making strategic partnerships with people that could bring a new market to listen to your music like fashion designers who host fashion shows that you could perform at. What we need is thinking outside the box and creating opportunities that will allow us to make more money and actually get the status that we deserve as artists. It's about time we “monetize our passion” (Wilbert Chaniwa) and get the best that we can out of out talents.
Lauryn Hill says “Music is supposed to inspire, so how come we ain't getting no higher?” I have seen artists who have shared the stages with the greatest of greats but where are they now. They are in the same position that they have been for the past 10 years, if not worse than they were before they met up with these greats. What is it with artists and “ shavi rehurombe?” when are we going to realize our potential and work extra hard to get what belongs to us? I remember laughing over the weekend with a famous promoter who highlighted that for Beyonce to come to Zim she has requested for close to US$1 million, just for an hour long show. As much as I am not a big Beyonce fan, we have to admit she has worked hard to be where she is now and has made several sacrifices along the way. And many even ask why our very own Tuku charges the “exorbitant” amounts that he charges. Akomana that is a lot of hard work. When I trace these artists’ histories, it is no joke! How do you put a price on art, on something that you alone can do the way that you do it? I say these artists are worth every penny that we give them and even more.
I am going to sound like some marketing rep for Zim online radio, but I like to give credit where it is due. It’s all about passion and igniting that passion! Simba and your team well done for what you are doing for Zimbabwean music! We may not see it now, but I can guarantee you that with time you are going to change the perception people have of the Zimbabwean music industry. Check out www.zimonlineradio.com
Tariro Ruzvidzo
No comments:
Post a Comment