Comments (2) 08.12.2011. 21:39
You know like sometimes I really wonder what it is that makes successful artists successful.
I'm talking the type of success that has you buying brand new M-Class Benzes for your kids to drive around in, all from sales in music.
More importantly, I wonder whether or not this country has the capacity to produce at least one artist that could make it that big?
I mean, what does it all come down to? Do these guys make it big because they are more talented? I think not, coz I've heard style in M-Dub that outclass most international commercial folk.
So is it about where you from? Guess not, coz most these guys had humble beginnings as far as we are aware. (Except Justin Bieber and Drake, coz they from Canada and nothing bad ever happens in Canada) So I'm guessing there's more to this than where you're from, it's more biased to where you're going, and if you're going there, how you're going.
I guess the real issue here is exposure, getting discovered by these talent scouts that are constantly looking for more people to make them more money.
In such a case, shouldn't just having talent be reason enough for these people to 'discover' you? Another no, coz of all the damn competition. And being from Malawi might just be a disadvantage by default coz face it, we aren't exactly famous for spitting out great musicians, even though I believe personally we have some of the greatest musicians. On a realistic scale, a lot of people would agree that Malawi produces at least
the best rappers in the SADC region, but yet nobody is seriously making a living off urban music. I mean so far, Tay's got it locked down but I doubt album sales could cop you a 5 series Beamer, so he must have other investments. I guess that's also why he can afford the promotion he gets, thus making it appear he's top dog.
Thing is, in Malawi not many people take urban music seriously, yet in the 'First World' as they call it, urban music alone contributes more to the economy annually than what Tobacco sales down here do in 5 years.
Those are a lotta zeroes
In addition, they associate urban music with gang violence, sex, drugs, alcohol and other things considered generally 'immoral' in Malawi so it's one of the toughest industries to break out in
I mean, how do you make it when your own parents disprove of what you do?
One of the key reasons me and Waynz started this site was to get Malawian musicians exposed to the World. We're working on sealing links with large record companies like Universal Music Group and Virgin so that we export the top music here directly to them, that increases their chances of getting discovered and doing it big. We also want to get the meaning of urban music out there, to get people to realise that it's just not about all these 'immoral' things it's been stereotyped with.
We work hard at this so that if just one Malawian musician seriously made, just ONE. Then that could change the future of urban music in Malawi. That's our goal, and this is what we're doing to make it happen.
Comments (13) 21.02.2011. 12:07