Let’s make 2012 a great year

Richard Kohola – Music Ride
2012 is around the corner and Music Ride as always wishes you all a safe ride. Life would be so boring without music, “Zwinorwadza hazvo kuti kunyangwe vanhu vose vanofarira mumhanzi vanouridza vemuZimbabwe vanoramba vachirarama hupenyu hwekutsandziridza”. (It is saddening to note that musicians are not benefiting from their music).
In 2012 please support the arts by buying original copies and attending concerts. I know that next year a lot of amazing talent is going to be unleashed. I pray that the industry is ready to sustain this talent as the past has seen us lose a lot of talent due to lack of mechanisms that catch and capture talent. We want to see billboards showcasing Zimbabwean talent to promote their brands.
My favourite concert of the year was the “Kirk Franklin in Concert”.
Kirk gave a performance that was both entertaining but very spiritually uplifting. The show was a demonstration of the mastery of both performance and his calling as a gospel artiste.
Promoters are really going out of their way to bring us some of the leading musicians worldwide.
The challenge still is the pricing and marketing of these shows. I am so excited about 2012 as many people have been talking about great initiatives that are geared at giving the industry a major overhaul. Just a few issues from the Music Ride desk to consider next year.
Quality control mechanisms
As we enter a new season the need to define quality from quantity, talent from wannabes will go a long way in adding value to both the industry and the nation at large. Agree or disagree the songs and artistes that are given more airtime on radio and television become the standard of our music and artistic community as well as a reflection on development.
Music is an image into any society that tells of their culture and the general quality of life. 2012 must be a year where a group of music experts form music quality and standard control associations that help those who play music in selecting products that demonstrate purpose and artistry and, above all, give us a good identity.
Radio and television are some of the major platforms that generate our identity and promote our values and so we cannot continue to give such platforms to chancers. Since the inception of the 100 percent local content on both radio and television we have tolerated all kinds of music but this has had its positives and negatives.
Music empowerment and
development programmes
While we have a few music colleges dotted around the country, the same need to research and develop short comprehensive and relevant programmes that are geared at generating a culture of musical excellence and professionalism. A lot of young musicians would like to try sungura music but find no one to guide them and so they continue with what they think is easier.
What benefit is it for these colleges to prioritise Western methods of making music against our own? Yes, it’s good to read music and at the same time one wants to make money using their talent and environment and so why not give them material that will expand where they are first and then in the long run focus on the other expressions. The majority of artistes need to be equipped with tools that can enhance their performance and presentation skills.
Producers
As much as you need the money 2012 must be a year that you demonstrate you are in the business to process musical potential and help shape the face and sound of the Zimbabwean music industry. Tell the artiste the truth, you are not ready for the world to hear your music but I can record a demo for you so you can listen and also use it to seek assistance from other music experts.
The need for an association of Zimbabwe music producers is necessary in order to share ideas and build a culture of research and development of local music brands.
Those involved in the music industry I wish to say that 2012 is a year of more action, coming together and strategising and shaping the industry. If you just continue to lament on the street corners nothing is going to happen in your favour.
Bootleggers, pirates and counterfeiters add no value to the creative industry.