Zim trio in Durban for The Music Imbizo

LAST year, nascent hip-hop artiste, Luminous mesmerised fans at the Music Imbizo Festival and to follow suit are locals, jazz maestro Josh Meck, content creator Phil Chard as well as event organiser Walter Wanyanya.

They are set to sprinkle some Zimbabwean magic dust at the annual The Music Imbizo that is ongoing in Durban, South Africa.

The trio have broken the glass ceiling in their different artistic professions, making them deserving representatives of the nation at the business summit.

The Music Imbizo, running for five days, commenced on Tuesday and will end on Saturday. It is an international music business conference, exhibition and film festival. The event being held under the theme, “Music is business to my ears” attracts various music industry stakeholders under one roof to map the way forward for the music industry in the African continent.

Josh Meck, an award-winning jazz musician was billed to perform yesterday alongside South African acts which include Liv Die, Stefanos Barbalias, Ntshikiwane Raphesu, and Royal Son at The Chairman in Durban.

He is a bass master who has succeeded in fusing jazz components with Zimbabwean traditional rhythms to forge his own distinctive mark in the local and global music industries.

His compatriot Walter Wanyanya, who has been able to curate top-drawer concerts under the “Ngoma Nehosho” banner is excited at conglomerating with those in the music business.

“The conference has been fantastic so far. It’s so great to be able to interact with fellow creative entrepreneurs from all over Africa and also, to build new connections,” he said.

On the other hand, Phil Chard, an award-winning entrepreneur, content creator and marketer who is passionate about the African entertainment industry and empowering African artists and creatives is one of the speakers at the business conference.

Chard said his lot was on how artistes can make their careers profitable.

“I participated in a round table discussion on investing and financing music and artistes in the industry. I spoke about the importance of artistes looking at themselves as a brand and understanding all the necessary roles needed to maximise their ability to earn revenue from their craft.

“We also spoke of how artistes can define their brand and use that to ensure they’re marketing to the people they’re trying to reach,” Phil said.

His passion for the creative arts and marketing has allowed him to work across Africa and Asia, where he has worked with several artistes and organisations on developing digital strategies and campaigns. – @MbuleloMpofu