Zimpapers Logo

Bruce Ndlovu
ARTISTES are always eager to share with their fans what they would have been working on. A true artiste believes in the quality of what they do and giving the public a taste of their latest piece of genius must rank high on their list of priorities.
Whether it is by running to the Press or making excited pronouncements on social media, artistes are often inclined to informing the public that they have been in the studio working, especially after a prolonged period of silence.

Releasing an album or single is thus a way for artistes to tell their fans that they are still alive and well, and also serves as a notice to their detractors that they have not fallen off the face of the earth.

However, while there are always pronouncements of album releases, the promotion of the albums themselves leaves a lot to be desired.

While some believe that good music speaks for itself, this mantra does not apply to all artistes. An artiste like Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi can get away with little promotion of his album because of his already established reputation, both on the local front and internationally.

Tuku is a household name whose standing and repute in the music industry is beyond dispute hence the mere mention of his name can send fans running to the record store.

However, the case is different for young artistes on the urban scene as very few, if any, command this sort of reputation.

The aura of invincibility is just not there yet hence the need to familiarise the public with some of their work. Young artistes from the city usually complain of lack of exposure as they believe they do not have enough platforms to share their art with the public.

While this may all be well and true, one cannot deny that the responsibility for unearthing new and innovate ways of sharing their work still lies with them.

Yes, you would like to hear your song being played all day everyday on national radio stations, but did you put measures in place to make sure it gets the airplay you want? Very often young artistes will release what they think is a genius piece of work then sit on their laurels waiting for it garner attention from the public.

Such confidence in one’s work is to be admired, but if you have recently released an album it can be fatal.

It is a mistake to believe that an artiste’s work begins and ends with the music making process. On the contrary, it is the process of getting the album to the ears of the public that they must work most diligently on.

The creative process is the simpler part because that is where an artiste is in their element. The album promotion part of the process represents a step outside the comfort zone of young artistes and perhaps this is why they falter.

This is perhaps why working on one’s own may not be a good idea for a young artiste. Having a team to work on the finer details of getting your album heard by the public is important.

Sharing a few tracks with your friends on Whatsapp without making an effort on your part encouraging them to help you spread your art will not cut it. While successful musicians are usually blessed with a team of professionals that have the knowhow on how to help them strengthen their brand, young artistes do not enjoy the same luxury.

Therefore, surrounding yourself with a team of like-minded individuals stands an individual at an advantage in comparison to one who works in isolation.

Releasing albums just for the sake of releasing them is another habit that artistes on the urban music scene have to outgrow. Some seem to be releasing half-baked projects every few months under the illusion that it keeps their name in the headlines.

While such an approach might have worked for American stars like Lil Wayne who flooded the market with their mixtapes, the situation and circumstances differ for other artistes, in particular Zimbabwe.

Again this comes to the issue of promotion as having released a new album a few months prior, young artistes feel that they have to release another one in the hope that it strikes gold after the first one would have performed poorly.

The trick is not in releasing another effort but making sure that the previous one has lived to its potential in the market. In general, although things are hard and getting a release off the ground is a tall order, the album promotion tactics of young up-and-coming artistes is one of their biggest shortcomings.