Chronicle Editor
Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent
THE staging of live shows is likely to take long to come back given the increasing cases of Covid-19 being recorded in the country hence artistes must brace for a long period of inactivity.
The window that therefore, remains is staging shows online until it is safe to stage live shows.
Government has already indicated that it will tighten lockdown regulations as part of measures to contain the spread of the pandemic which of late has seen an increase in local transmissions.
The City of Kings and Queens has held a number of online shows, among them Bulawayo LIVE Sessions, Fusion Media Group (FMG) Lockdown concerts and Creative Diversity and Social Inclusion (Credisi). In Harare, Passion Java’s Gara Mumba Iwe on Nash TV has been on top of the game, hosting artistes from all over the country and even outside the country. Some of these shows have had corporates coming on board while others have not gotten support leaving the event organisers with the burden of funding some of the shows. What is clear is that organisers are committed to assisting artistes to stage these shows with or without corporate support.
Some of the shows have failed to attract viewers but organisers are not giving up.
The artistes are getting the much needed exposure from these shows and the next stage is to monetise these shows so that artistes benefit financially.
FMG Lockdown concerts organiser, Tatenda “MK” Mnkandla said they have successfully held seven shows staged by gospel and afro pop singers.
He said the objective was to give artistes a platform to showcase their works and was confident this has been achieved.
“We are not paying artistes participating in these shows but we are taking care of all the costs involved and artistes are benefiting from the exposure,” said MK.
Bulawayo LIVE sessions organiser Dalu Van Vodloza said they are also on a mission to promote the city’s talent by exposing the artistes (mainly DJs).
“It is still a relatively new format and finding partnerships has been difficult. We’ve been fortunate to partner with one of the city’s flagship brands, Ingwebu,” said Vodloza.
He said the shows are expensive to run hence the need for corporate support in meeting the expenses.
Iyasa director, Nkululeko Dube who is the organiser of Credisi, a monthly show which is meant to bring artistes from Bulawayo closer to their audience, said their platform is not a commercial venture.
“As Credisi we’re supported by Culture at Work Africa to provide a platform for local artistes and creatives. This will only be for a limited time. We are not a commercial venture but we come in to assist creatives by providing a space online for them to showcase their work,” he said.
Dube said in order to generate money, shows had to attract good audience to lure advertisers.
“When our shows attract a big audience advertisers will come in and we generate money,” said Dube.
Nash TV spokesperson, Butterphly Phunk said artistes are benefiting a lot from the virtual shows as they are being exposed to new audiences who follow the Nash TV brand.
“Naturally, there are a lot of expenses that come with the production of the shows from artistes to the behind the scenes cast. Sometimes we get sponsors but they don’t cover the entire production.
“What has kept us going is the love and passion for art which we see as a huge investment into the future of our art industry,” said Butterphly.
The artistes said they were grateful for the online initiatives which they said were giving them a platform to engage audiences.
They however, appealed to the corporate world to sponsor the shows so that they can benefit financially.
DJ Prince Eskhosini said there is a need for those organising these events to be transparent and not take advantage of artistes.
“Whoever is given a task to look for DJs or artistes for the virtual shows should stop asking artistes for favours. Our industry is full of greedy people that want to use artistes and it’s such people that are killing the industry,” said Eskhosini.
Gwanda-based musician Master Zhoe however, said artistes must look for potential sponsors on their own through innovative ideas.
“I think artistes should look for sponsorship from big brands so that they benefit financially as opposed to just mourning,” said Master Zhoe. — @mthabisi_mthire.
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