2016: The year of unique album release

Bruce Ndlovu
A lot of noise has been rightfully made this year about Oliver Mtukudzi, Winky D, Jah Prayzah and Alick Macheso, a quartet that is largely thought to be ruling the roost in Zimbabwean music.

The hype surrounding the four is testament to their pull, given the state of the countryaï¿½ï¿½s economy, which has meant that attending expensive shows is now a luxury that many canaï¿½ï¿½t afford.

With hits in the bank and an ability to stay relevant, dislodging any of the four from their perch is a tough prospect for any upstart who wants to dine at the high table with the big boys.

In such a highly competitive environment where artistes are outmuscling each other for scraps, the four cannot put a foot wrong lest they lose their grip on the top branch of the Zimbabwean music industry. It is perhaps with this in mind that all the aforementioned artistes released albums they would no doubt hope keep them relevant and popular among fans for the coming year at least.

For music fans 2016 has been a year of rich harvest, as it is rare that all the big guns put their arsenal on display in a single year but so fierce is the competition that any of the four could not afford to see the year run its course without giving fans a taste of what they have been working on in their studios.

The different strategies adopted for the release of the albums illustrate how things are changing in the music industry and how the chameleonic artistes are also changing colour with the season.

The first man who came out to bat was Alick Macheso with the album Tsoka Dzerwendo. Extra Bassoaï¿½ï¿½s fans had been clamouring for a new album and it is not conceivable how he could have seen out the year with his fans still satisfied with the diet of old hits. His album was perhaps the best illustration that the old methods of distribution are well and truly done. Machesoaï¿½ï¿½s partnership with Nash Paints was a masterstroke, and his pricing of the album at only a dollar showed the makings of an artiste who has acknowledged that the monster that is piracy is now beyond control and all artistes can do is live uneasily on its terms.

If Machesoaï¿½ï¿½s album was a study in the modern economics of music, Jah Prayzahaï¿½ï¿½s launch was notable for its extravagance. An oversubscribed launch at the HICC was followed the next day by a road show that snaked all the way from Harare to Bulawayo, which announced to fans that indeed Mdhara Vachauya as the albumaï¿½ï¿½s title proclaimed.

Machesoaï¿½ï¿½s strategy was also followed by Prayzah, as he partnered with Zimpapers to use their vendors to distribute his album. Like Macheso Jah Prayzah was basically affirming that the album did not live on some ignored store shelf but had instead changed address to the street corners.

With so many vendors around the country it would be folly not to use this ready-made distribution channel.

While Prayzah and Macheso used the tools of the day, Tuku showed that perhaps his focus was no longer outmuscling the competition locally, but instead growing his already popular brand outside Zimbabwe, especially South Africa. This was perhaps illustrated by his recent award at the Wawela awards down south where he walked away with the Breaking Through Borders award.

If Tukuaï¿½ï¿½s release was understated then the release of Winky Daï¿½ï¿½s was anything but that. The Gafaaï¿½ï¿½ trumpeted his new project to all and sundry and his decision to debut it on radio was another masterstroke. There is no doubt that more than the other three, Winkyaï¿½ï¿½s music appeals most to the youth and with that in mind there is no doubt about the reach of ZiFM Stereo and Star FM to that demographic.

This appeal also perhaps explains why he has placed less emphasis than his competitors on physical sales, choosing to push the album on the digital platform, as he counts on his live shows to make his money.