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Clive ‘Mono’ Mukundu
Special Correspondent
The relationship between musicians and the corporate world is heavily skewed in favour to those with money, causing an imbalance.
This is particularly noticeable, when it comes to advertisements.
In the past, the music industry greatly benefited from advertising as it was highly profitable.
With the advent of digitalisation and the resulting rise in the number of studios, it was inevitable that things would eventually shift. However, such does not justify extremely uneven negotiations, as is the case at the moment with the issues I will outline below.
First of all, the corporates insist that they pay no deposit before work commences.
Then they expect the task to be completed as soon as yesterday, but when it comes to remuneration, they pay at their own convenience.
In other words, they demand that the service provider maintains a high level of professionalism in meeting the deadlines, but then they display a distinct lack of professionalism in return when it comes to compensating the service provider.
During the creative process, they give a multitude of instructions to modify numerous aspects of the jingle.
As these modifications are carried out, all individuals involved in the jingle’s creation will need to make their way to the studio, using their own resources for transport.
Once the assignment is finished, the corporates are quick to pay media outlets so that the jingle is flighted, but they are not in a hurry to pay the artistes.
The most concerning matter, though, is their unwillingness to pay in US dollars.
The worry stems from the fact that by the time they make the Zimdollar payment, inflation will have reduced the money’s worth.
During my conversation with a public relations representative from a large corporation, I inquired about the situation when an artiste insists on signing a contract that requires an upfront deposit and protection against inflation.
The official calmly informed me that in such cases, they would seek out another service provider without hesitation.
Given the current abundance of studios in Zimbabwe, they assured me there would always be someone willing to accept this disrespectful arrangement.
Within the span of just one year, specifically 2023, more than 10 renowned music producers who were previously dependent on advertising projects have left the nation due to their financial hardships.
While some of them have established studios in foreign countries, others have chosen to leave the music industry altogether.
When discussing this topic, they all voiced their discontent with the way Zimbabwe’s corporate sector mistreats musicians.
Brendon Sole, the proprietor of the studio that produced the well-known jingle also released as a song in 2018, chose to relocate to South Africa with his studio in March 2023.
He said his studio was reliant on corporate advertisements for income, but later on he couldn’t make ends meet.
During our conversation, he noted that corporate bullying and unprofessionalism has always been present in the country, but recently it has escalated to the point where he couldn’t sustain himself financially.
Like many others, he highlighted the challenge of being expected to maintain a high level of professionalism by the corporates who are extremely unprofessional when it comes to compensating the service provider.
He further stated that the corporate industry in Zimbabwe is experiencing ethical fading, which is a phenomenon where individuals engage in legal, but dishonest actions while believing they are still morally upright.
Andrew Baird, another South African-based music producer mentioned that the South African collecting society, SAMRO, also guarantees that, like in the Western world, musicians receive substantial income from the broadcast of these jingles. However, in Zimbabwe, once an artiste receives payment for a jingle, they will not receive any additional payments regardless of how long the jingle is used.
Q-Montana, another musician and music producer, relocated to the United Kingdom at the end of 2022.
He expressed familiar frustrations.
Additionally, he noted that while other service providers for example those responsible for the PA system and catering at corporate live events received fair and prompt payment, he, as a musician, received meagre compensation that was also delayed.
He claims that where he resides now, all artistes, regardless of their level of success, are treated with respect.
Like I often mention, hungry people are usually not kind towards each other.
Nicholar Mutuwa, another artiste who leads a jazz band, stated that due to their desperate circumstances, some artistes approach corporations and offer their services for significantly low costs just to outdo their competition.
Another artiste who chose to be anonymous highlighted a common deceptive scheme executed by numerous corporate agents in present times.
This scheme entails instructing the service provider to increase the total amount on receipts, resulting in them receiving a portion.
For example, they may suggest paying you one thousand dollars but request that you record three thousand on the paperwork, with two thousand being their share.
The service provider’s share is never as large as theirs.
In many countries, it has been a long-standing tradition for companies to collaborate with advertising agents when creating advertisements. Zimbabwe followed this practice in the past.
However, nowadays, an increasing number of companies, even major corporations, are directly approaching musicians with their bullish proposals.
In addition to dealing with disheartened musicians, which often results in below-average service, a new principle has become prominent in the Zimbabwe corporate world.
Many companies have adopted a new widespread practice of collecting three quotes and selecting the cheapest option, instead of giving preference to the best quality.
It is crucial to understand that low-cost service can actually be costly in terms of quality.
This is why the overall quality of advertisements has declined in recent times.
Musicians’ main source of income, live shows, is also a platform where the bullying persists. After consulting with five different artistes who wished to remain anonymous, it was also found that restaurants in Harare typically pay an average of $100 to $300 per gig, depending on the popularity of the artiste.
It should be mentioned that these amounts are paid to the entire band and include the cost of hiring the PA system.
Therefore, in desperation, musicians agree to these agreements and view the gigs as hunting grounds where they are noticed by individuals who will eventually hire them for lucrative private events, as those are the only types of jobs that offer substantial payment.
Once a problem has been identified, it is crucial to consider potential solutions.
It is pointless to try and persuade musicians to disregard such agreements, as mentioned earlier, there will always be individuals who will secretly approach the same corporations and willingly subject themselves to the mistreatment.
Remember there is no war without sell-outs.
So I propose two solutions:
Strengthen Your Name
The first approach is for musicians to work hard to build their names by recording and releasing good music constantly.
Relying on covering songs by other musicians has never boosted the worth of any musician.
While it can be a beneficial beginning, it should not be seen as a long-term position.
A bigger name equips musicians with greater leverage in negotiations.
Strong Musicians Unions
One of the most effective courses of action is to bolster musicians’ unions, enabling us to unite our voices and advocate for our cause to the Government through the appropriate ministries.
The lack of strong unions in Zimbabwe allows the corporate world to easily mistreat musicians.
In countries where the music industry thrives, musicians are respected and have a say because they unite through unions.
These unions advocate for fair agreements, safeguard the rights to their recorded music, ensure benefits like healthcare and retirement plans, and actively support musicians as well as workers’ rights.
The current union in Zimbabwe lacks strength as numerous musicians have inexplicably avoided joining, leaving it weakened. Consequently, Zimbabwean musicians lack a powerful representation to voice their concerns.
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) serves as the representative organization for over 70,000 professional musicians in the United States and Canada, as stated on their website, https://www.afm.org.
They are the largest of its kind globally.
Their slogan says “We have the power to make the music industry work for musicians.”
In conclusion, my heart goes out to those who have stopped pursuing music because of the various challenges they faced.
Personally, I will continue to pursue music, but I understand and respect the decisions of those who have quit.
The music industry in Zimbabwe poses numerous hardships, and it is not easy.
However, we will not accept defeat silently.
Remaining silent implies being part of the problem, and eventually, we will triumph put a stop to the problem of being poor and famous.
Online Reporter