MAKING MONEY THROUGH MUSIC NOT EASY

MBABANE - Making money in the music industry isn’t always as simple as negotiating a salary plus waiting for your pay cheque to come in.

This is what Eswatini music artists get to experience on a daily as they try to make their mark in the entertainment industry. For many years, local artists have had the challenge of making a living out of the work they put in as far as their music careers are concerned and it seems it hasn’t been enough to put food on the table, at least for most. Regardless of the fact that COVID-19 has caused ‘havoc’ in the music industry, gigs and gatherings  being cancelled therefore artists not making money  like they used to, local artists have never had the luxuries that any other African artists such as South African hip hop artist  Cassper Nyovest have. Could this then mean that emaswati are not supporting their own, or they pay less, they do not book their own or simply because the music industry is not given much recognition and accolades like the rest of the countries in Africa? The economic reality is that most musicians in any field aren’t going to be able to make a living doing music.

variations

SWAMA (Swaziland Arts and Music Association) Public Relations Officer and radio host Bongani ‘Thizalami’ Dube said, “The variations in income and standard of living between local artists and their South African contemporaries can be attributed to the glaring structural, psychological, and behavioural differences between the two markets.” He said; Structurally: South Africa has an established arts economy, as all essential structures were put in place and are functionally. These include governance structures like the Department of Arts and Culture, regulatory structures like the Recording Industry of South Africa (RISA), royalties collection societies like the Southern Africa Music Royalties Organisation (SAMRO), as well as a wide range of media platforms, at both national and community levels, that have content monitoring software used to generate statistics for ratings and royalties collection purposes. The deliberate political will at central government level to treat the Arts as a formal sector whose contribution to the GDP ( gross domestic product) can be measured and recorded has enabled their industry to flourish.

Secondly; Perception/Psychological: The general small economy mind-set usually leads to a subconscious appreciate of everything that’s from a bigger economy than ours. Our people tend to assume all products made in South Africa are of a better quality than those made locally, yet ours are equally good. This mind-set then transcends to all other sectors including the arts. We have seen promoters and corporates hiring South African artists who charge an arm and a leg at the expense of our own artists due to what they perceive as better popularity for the former. This also speaks to the need of a regulatory framework for the arts so as to protect and advance local arts ahead of imported arts. If we perceive or label ourselves as inferior we will become inferior. A mind-set shift, therefore, has to prevail so as to establish and develop the arts economy of Eswatini.

And thirdly; Behavioural: Our artists’ own behaviours and lack of arts business skills and knowledge poses a challenge to the arts economy of Eswatini. Notwithstanding the lack of structural support, our artists need to stop treating their work as a ‘hustle’ (side jobs). They need to formally register their labels as companies, they need to manage their social media personae, and they need to decline being short-changed by promoters or companies who negotiate down their quotes; among many other things. Arts associations like SWAMA, together with the mother body ENCAC, should conduct focused trainings; establish arts tours and exchange programmes; and establish an Arts Fund that will assist artists to access arts business loans.

career

This will ensure there’s behavioural change towards treating their work as a career. On the other hand, Platinum Concepts’ Khulekani Karly B Mamba said “it may possibly be considered unfair, but to some extent, it’s justifiable. The one thing we need to understand is that it’s not really the talent that people pay for, it’s the brand. Countries like SA are already a step ahead with the arts and entertainment environment, making it easy to build and position brands at a level that gives them an advantage over our own, where we are still struggling to get the well-deserved recognition, let alone an enabling environment. There’s no reason why the next big hit should not come from Eswatini” said local upcoming rap artist, Paco.

“Africa is not a region where there is a one-size-fits-all solution, but there is huge potential. Those countries are so culturally rich, and the music industry in many of them is so vibrant. There’s no reason why the next big hit should not come from a country like ours. It’s just a case of a lot of work to be done there to help the local industry,” he commented. Speaking to an artist who preferred to remain anonymous, he said, what let artists down was the organisers of certain shows where they do not pay for the artists services. “All you get is, we have given you the platform to expose yourself then they thank you with a free beer, not considering the effort and money spent prior to that certain performance,” he said.

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