THE year 2020 is coming to an end and will go down memory lane as a year of disruption.
BY PLOT MHAKO
NewsDay Life & Style takes a look at some of the highs, lows, challenges, and opportunities that happened on the showbiz scene.
COVID-19 outbreak
Despite COVID-19 artistes never stopped composing, releasing music and even performing infront of a laptop to keep fans onside. The lockdown imposed by the government to contain the outbreak of the coronavirus took a heavy toll on the creative arts and music also received a heavy blow.
The new normal confined people to their homes and communities leaving the digital space as the only outlet for music and the artistes to thrive, but unfortunately the switch was rather too sudden and everyone was forced to adapt quickly.
In a struggling economy where the infrastructure for music is dilapidated and the systems that sustains a viable music industry are either not there or dysfunctional, the artistes and supporting stakeholders are the most vulnerable with some continuing to wallow in poverty.
Literally the industry got exposed, the lack of State funding, disunity, absence of efficient unions, poor digital infrastructure, lack of knowledge, a single television station and a banking system that does not facilitate easy international transactions meant artistes had to innovate or switch to other trades for survival.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Music never stopped from playing with DJs resorting to social media platforms. Earlier this year several wheelspinners came together and successfully formed and launched a national association and some created online shows.
However, some of them are still struggling to monetise except a few that were engaged by corporates such as DJ Gospel Unlocked, Dj Chucknosis, Garry B & Templeman, Dj KingHer and Dj Iroq, among others.
Loss of income
Promoters, artistes, event organisers, venue owners, festivals organisers and booking agencies lost millions in potential revenue as the industry remained in half-slumber. Bands like Mokoomba, Insingizi which are serial globetrotters which make their income through touring and performing at global festivals and this was not possible because of COVID-19 restrictions, depriving them of potential income.
Some of the key sources of income that could have helped artistes during the lockdown could have been licensing, publishing, performance and airplay royalties, but sadly most artistes struggled to access their income.
Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (Zimura) is in shambles as it struggles to get radio stations and consumers to comply on time and when the money finally comes through, the value would have been eroded.
Some broadcasters have also lost revenue from advertising as businesses are struggling too thereby negatively impacting content creators.
Alternatively online sales and music streaming which are huge global industries are still not easily accessible to the bulk of Zimbabwean artistes. Most composers are not well informed about the processes involved, their rights and are not able to effectively utilise the digital platforms owing to several limitations including failure to access international payment and remittance systems such as Paypal, Visa and MasterCard.
In this regard we heard several cases of artistes crying over income lost to unscrupulous distributors.
To make matters worse, the Zimbabwean community has not adjusted to paying for live streams or PPV (pay per view) and the forthcoming concert featuring two of Zimbabwe’s biggest giants Jah Prayzah and Winky D will be a litmus test for the local streaming platform Gateway Stream.
Deaths
Sadly the arts sector did not only lose income in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but lives too.
The creative sector lost some of the finest talents whose careers were starting to blossom, the likes of Prince Kudakwashe Musarurwa, Delroy “Scara” Maripakwenda who once played drums for Winky D, multi-award winning rapper Cal_Vin who died in a hit-and-run accident, video vixen Michelle “Moana” Amuli, Iyasa founding member Sibonisiwe “Bonnie” Sithole, Mbira master Cosmas Magaya, veteran comedian Lazarus “Gringo” Boora also died and entertainment mogul and club owner Genius “Ginimbi” Kadungure who died in a road accident together with Moana.
Birth of new performing platforms
In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, new platforms were born. These platforms gave some artistes a shot in the arm as they afforded musicians a chance to perform and reach a wider audience online.
The likes of NashTV, Passion Java’s Gara Mumba, Ngoda TV, ZimCelebs, Iyasa’s CREDISI and Dollar Bill Entertainment were some of the most prominent online platforms that kept artistes and the audiences engaged.
It is also on some of these platforms that hits were made and stars were born. NashTV ushered in possibly the biggest hit in 2020, Hello Mwari by Jah Master, ZimCelebs/ Ngoda TV propelled Anita Jaxson and Poptain into stardom.
On the other hand, the Zimbabwean diaspora have for years played a big part in music promotion and support. Despite the closure of borders to most countries this did not stop them from supporting local music and artistes as we saw online concerts being hosted in South Africa, Dubai and the United Kingdom with the popular Chabvondoka and most recently the World Remit supported Geza Mawoko Iwe concerts.
Sha Sha bangs BET award
The biggest highlight of the year was Zimbabwe’s first BET Award win which came through South Africa-based Amapiano queen Sha Sha. United Kingdom-based Blessing Annatoria Chitapa also flew the country’s flag high as she won The Voice UK and Finton Mumbure who is making a huge impact at the on-going The Voice Germany.
On the other hand, as it has been the norm, the year ends with the awards, but sadly the usual competitive National Arts Merit Awards (Nama) will not take place, but instead a commemorative Legends edition will honour 40 artistes at a ceremony set for February 2021
New voices, sounds
There has been a lot of shift in sound, tempo and musical preferences. The most dominant urban music genre in the country Zimdancehall has been mutating from traditional melody to accommodate the trending Afrobeat sound.
The general tempo for music has slowed down a bit and new voices are emerging with some old ones gradually sinking into oblivion.
In hip-hop we saw the rise of Holy Ten whose conscious lyrics and trap sound captured the hearts of many.
Also, one of the most notable and positive developments has been the emergence of new super talented and fired up female artistes such as Feli Nandi, Thandy Dhlana, Vuyo Brown, Sharonrose, Silethemba Magonya and Anita Jaxson who continue to defy the odds and are destined to change the gender imbalance that has existed for long in the Zimbabwean music space.
Similarly, making waves were also Kikky Badass, Asaph, ProBeats, MsizKay and in dancehall we had Poptain, Jah Master, Ma9Nine, Van Choga, DaShocca, Seh Calaz. Sungura music received a major boost with Baba Harare dropping a number of good songs, Mark Ngwazi, Senator Tichareva and Alick Macheso gave us teasers of what to expect from their forthcoming albums while the dendera family gave us two albums from Allan and Sulumani Chimbetu.
Gospel scene
On the gospel front, the music brought the divine healing and soothing we desperately needed. Janet Manyowa , Minister Michael Mahendere, Rumbi Chikuwe, Mai Patai, Mambo Dhuterere did not disappoint as they ministered hope and strength during these difficult moments.
Capacity building workshops
Several capacity building workshops and conferences also took place during the year. The Zimdancehall Summit, Gateway Stream Music Master class, Jacaranda Festival’s Music
Workshop and several online webinars that sought to educate and empower artistes.
Follow us on Twitter @newsdayzimbabwe
