adminBruce Ndlovu
Zimbabwean artistes who have for years complained about being marginalised by MTV Base, Channel O and other music channels will get a chance to exhibit their videos on a new Trace TV channel targeted at Southern African musicians.
TRACE Africa, will look to make sure that artistes from other Southern African countries other than South Africa get much needed regional and continental exposure.
For years Zimbabwean and other country musicians complained that they hardly get airplay from the continenta��s main music stations whose staple is South African and Nigerian content.
Already Tocky Vibes has been a beneficiary of the new station, with one of his videos from his latest album receiving airplay.
In Zimbabwe, for example, Buffalo Souljah has been the only artiste to consistently break the continental barrier and that may also be attributed to the fact that he is based outside the country.
Jah Prayzah with his viral Watora Mari video has also begun to make inroads on the continental scene.
TRACEa��s CEO, Olivier Laouchez, said: a�?TRACE is already the leading music brand in Africa. The new localised music channel will help promote more artists from the biggest music hubs of Southern Africa and they will better serve the strong need of the local audiences for great local content.
a�?Viewers can look forward to shows such as African Hit 10, a daily countdown of the best hits from Africa. New, focusing on the latest releases and freshest tunes by local talent and Guest Star, puts the spotlight on todaya��s hottest Southern African stars where viewers will get to know their favourite stars on a personal level.a�?
derick.khumalo