Adopt business strategies . . .

Fred Zindi Music
Since the growth of the Internet in the last decade, sales of recorded music in Zimbabwe have plummeted.

This is one of the reasons why big recording companies such as Gramma Records and Zimbabwe Music Corporation are closing down.

This technological advancement has left the industry in a sorry state. For instance the menace caused by piracy in Zimbabwe has left record companies and artistes poorer than before.

Musicians have been left with no alternative but to take the bull by the horns.

Last month, we witnessed one such musician, Alick Macheso doing exactly that.

Having experienced the rampant piracy of music CDs which was going on in the streets of all major cities, he and his team which included Zimbabwe Red Cross Society, Nash Paints and Jive Zimbabwe decided to formulate a strategy that would beat the music pirates on these streets.

They used resources available to them to produce and distribute thousands of CDs throughout the country all on the same day before the pirates had access to the CD.

Macheso took advantage of his ambassadorial role and lined up Zimbabwe Red Cross branches all over the country to market his new album “Tsoka DzeRwendo”.

According to reliable sources, he had sold over 250 000 copies within two days after the day of release. Moreover, the album was selling at a mere dollar per copy, thus beating the pirates at their own game.

This kind of thinking suggests that the music industry now needs shrewd business people if it is to survive.

Macheso, buoyed huge sales of his album within a week of release. It was officially launched at the Harare International Conference Centre. The launch ceremony was attended by over 2 000 people and it also earned him a residential stand from Phillip Chiyangwa and a holiday for two in Nyanga from Suluman Chimbetu.

Within a short period, Macheso had earned 2 000 times what the average musician earns in a whole year.

Although the decline of the music business over the past decade has been well-chronicled, my prediction is that the industry is no longer in a free-fall in terms of employment. The percentage of Zimdancehall artistes and other musicians who have come onto the scene in the last ten years has increased.

Many ghetto youths have now joined the music industry as self-employed artistes. Industry watchers are optimistic about job prospects for those looking to make a career in music.

There is need for Government to partner with musicians in this country in order to create employment as well as to boost the economy. Other countries have already done so. In Jamaica the government opened recording studios in Kingston and Montego Bay where all talented young artistes would come and record their songs for free and then records made are marketed.

Both the artistes and the government through a percentage agreement were able to make millions of dollars through record sales. Artistes such as Yellowman, Dennis Brown, Garnet Silk, Freddie MacGregor, Gregory Isaacs, Jimmy Cliff and the Mighty Diamonds became big this way. This shows the importance of partnership between government and musicians.

According to figures released by the British Tourism Authority and music industry groups last year, tourists visiting UK music festivals and concerts in 2014 contributed at least 864 million pounds ($1,4 billion) to the economy.

If this was in Zimbabwe, it would mean that half the annual Gross Domestic Product would be met by music business alone. This shows that if tourism is properly handled, music alone can lure tourists and thus boost the economy, highlighting the need for a live music tourism strategy.

Live music events across the UK attract 7,7 million attendances by domestic and overseas tourists, who collectively spend 1,4 billion pounds during their trips, according to a report by UK Music, a London-based group that includes songwriters, managers and record companies. Though just 5 percent of music tourists come from abroad, they contribute 18 percent of total spending.

The report, which follows one by the government identifying UK’s creative industries as drivers of growth, urges the adoption of a strategy to lure overseas music tourists. It also recommends the promotion of music strengths of various regions and the formation of a body to promote live music tourism within the country. UK Music estimates 19 700 full-time jobs rely on the contribution from music tourists.

In the 1980’s thousands of tourists from overseas would come to Harare’s Rufaro Stadium every year to celebrate Independence with Zimbabweans. This was a well-executed musical event which featured the most influential musicians of the time from Thomas Mapfumo, Oliver Mtukudzi, John Chibadura, Leonard Dembo, James Chimombe, Lovemore Majaivana, The Four Brothers, System Tazvida, to Simon Chimbetu and The Bhundu Boys.

However, this event which was organised by the Ministry of Youth Sport and Culture suddenly came to an abrupt end because the ministry claimed they had run out of cash to run music festivals. In my opinion, music was not a priority to them and the budget for music was moved elsewhere.

There is need to adopt a business culture in the music industry. Where Government fails to assist, corporate institutions must come in. Sponsorship and endorsements of musicians as some corporates are doing, is the way to go.

A few weeks ago, before the Swaziland versus Zimbabwe football match, I spoke to the ZIFA president, Phillip Chiyangwa at Reverend Chivaviro’s album launch, asking ZIFA to indirectly sponsor Musicians by charging $5 as entrance fee to the match instead of the $3 ZIFA had planned, then they would give ‘free’ Ebenezer CDs to everyone who came for the football match.

The extra $2 charged to each patron would then go to the musicians whose CD’s were being given for free. We did not finish this arrangement but Chiyangwa had agreed and thought that my idea was a sound one.

In this climate, entrepreneurship and aggressive marketing seem to be the key. Musicians need to formulate strategies that will create business for themselves. After all they have creative minds. Record shops, music venues and music festivals should be run by musicians. Popular musicians could also market themselves by creating their own designer lines, which enable them to sell products such as clothes, perfumes in their names, T-shirts and so forth.

In the US, Dr Dre has become one of the richest musicians as a result of his innovation and creativity.

Dr Dre made the bulk of his money on headphones, but he also raps, produces and plays the occasional concert.

Amid the great recession, lesser-paid musicians are also learning that becoming jacks-of-all-trades is a crucial part of the modern business.

The average personal gross income of the 5 371 musicians surveyed in the US was $55 561, of which $34 455 per person came from musical work.

More than half of all respondents reported generating income from at least three different jobs. Some were teaching music, others were basking and many more were selling their own CDs on the streets.

If such money can be made by musicians, it makes me very hopeful for our musicians here and what they can do. But it does require a certain amount of business savvy and marketing savvy in combination with your musical savvy, to succeed.