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Nkosilathi Sibanda  Urban Beats
THE musical show Jaiva Gala at White City last week smacked of a disaster that long hit this erstwhile entertainment capital of Zimbabwe.Oh yes! Read that well. Bulawayo is no longer what it used to be, the showbiz scene, and we must not be apologetic about it.

It took an hour for Dan Shanda fans to fill up White City, but ages for local artistes to attract 40 live music lovers.

The Soul Brothers had fans on their toes, with hardly space to dance at the same stadium.

Musicians billed on the day are well known in the city. Despite the drop in cover charge from $5 to $3, the headline acts did nothing to lure Bulawayo residents.

Was the charge too much in a city where fans pay up to $20 for a foreign performance?

Here was the cocktail of the day: Sandra Ndebele, Magwaza, Chase, Ndolwane, Ndux Junior, Jeys Marabini, Mcheznana, TKP, POY and the rest of the upcoming musos.

ONLY 40 tickets sold. It is safe to say musicians in this city have no fan base to talk about.

Both promoters and musicians were left with egg on face. Embarrassment in your backyard!

Following this sorry sight, the old story resurfaced. Bulawayo’s best are unsung in their city.

Fingers point in every direction. Artistes accuse show organisers of not marketing the shows. Promoters are alleged to be underpaying performers.

But who is to blame? On this issue I will call the fans to the dock. No show is complete without an audience.
Fans bring in the buck. No matter how rich the show promoter is, they still look up to a profit from ticket sales.

Where are the fans when artistes need them the most? The discord to the revival of any arts sector in the city of Kings is with the residents.

Promoters’ head of argument is the apathy that has hit the city. People do not support any production done by a local artiste.
Check your neighbour’s music playlist; there is no song by any musician from this city.

Ndolwane Super Sounds fans, I am sure have friends that distaste their music choice. In Bulawayo — people do not support their own.
The 3 Kings, one of the best house groups to emerge, had to find audience in South Africa because their instant rise to fame was shot down.

The proverbial “One is not a prophet in his home” articulates the subject well. Albert Nyathi and Busi had seen this long back.
The trek of out Bulawayo opens career opportunities to artistes. It is the fans who push the artistes out.

It takes more than just grouping musicians and setting a show. For Bulawayo it’s to do with changing the attitude of music lovers in the city.

Bring Oskido and tickets are sold out. Understandably, Oskido is an international brand. He made a name on local shows in South Africa.
Even at a $1 for two tickets, it would take a whip to move Bulawayo residents out their comfort zone.

How is Mcheznana expected to reach a peak in the industry when 40 fans pay up at White City?

We have been made to believe that promoters and artistes tell of a somewhat confusing story. When all is well the two are best of acquaintances. The friendship is shaky though. We read of stories that promoters or show organisers underpay musicians. The promoter and managers alike become bad boys of the industry.

Yet, the fans hold the solution to the confusion. The fans are the PAYMASTERS.

That is the best word I could find. No musician or show manager can pledge to live without the fans.

Singers and players of instruments are what they are because of the followers. Tell me of a musician who is not inspired by their community?

So many musicians, some genuine and others trying to make a mark, have moved out of the City of Kings. Interestingly, promoters are still making money in this city, which is when they bring in an out of Bulawayo musician.

In the glorification of visits by artistes from other cities, we cannot help but complain of the effect of their “invasion”.
Of course, music being universal, an artiste would still need to be defined by their background, where you come from.

This is for all the promoters who take advantage of communities. Bring artistes that are loved by people.
We no longer have promoters who knew how to entice the hard-to-please Bulawayo fan.

The city’s music business should take a leaf from Harare-based Chipaz Promotions. I hear the renowned promotions company threw an entertaining concert of a number of music star, at a very cheap charge.

On weekends, music lovers in Harare had the opportunity to watch, listen and enjoy live beats from as many musicians. Not only that, the crowds did come.

This space cannot allow a list of unsuccessful shows held by Bulawayo artistes.

Blame is on the face for now but more needs to be unravelled. They are more people in the game.

Artistes have often complained saying that they do not make enough money from their craft. In most shows that they have been asked to perform, be it curtain raising for a foreign act or a high profile local one, they are usually performing in hope of getting exposure.

There is no futile an effort than to expose a musician to fans that do not like them. Once disappointed, the fan does not come back.

Get that Bulawayo musos.

Local promoters do not have the financial muscle to pay all the artistes that come forward to perform.
Usually observers try to pass off local promoters as money grabbers only out exploit talent.

The exposure that they perform for in most cases puts them in good stead for more shows.

Needless to say the exposure business does not seem to have an end as artistes do the same routine over and over again without noticeable progress.

I am forced to put in examples of musicians, outside Bulawayo. They fill up night clubs. Jeys Marabini will shed a tear if his sells out a show at city hall.

City artistes performing in big shows see and marvel at the big crowds and immediately believe fans have to support them in the same manner.

While this may be true, Bulawayo artistes have not done themselves any favours. Instead, they deal with promoters on closed doors, agreeing to less than they would have bargained for.

They take part in shows they know will not attract crowds. Fans look at such issues. “What is there for me besides dancing to live music?”
Promoters, in most instances, are experienced negotiators that are unwilling to part with their money to pay people who they consider novices. It would be better for young artistes to negotiate collectively. This way it would help them go some way in preventing promoters from exploiting them.

Artistes should also solicit the help of those that have experience in the industry. One has to be aware they are not the first to be a musician.

It is a road that all that have achieved success have travelled and listening to the advice of those that have made it in their careers would help them deal better with event organisers.

The illusion of performing for exposure must be stopped in its tracks. One way of doing this would be to make sure that musicians get closer to the people.

The fans are the key to a better industry that pays. It is time for Bulawayo music lovers to stand their ground.

Maybe there is no music worth listening to. What we are sure of is there are musicians from Bulawayo and they come from communities that appreciate music. Sadly, the musicians and the fans do not understand each other.

Ridicule, disrespect and all negative tags hang over every musician from the City of Kings.

What is the worth are these artistes? That’s the weekend question.

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