GUEST WRITER: Promoters don’t owe you anything
SHONA NGAVA
There is this notion from a few Namibian musicians that event organisers and promoters in the industry are stifling them and have made a mockery of their artistry because they are booking acts from South Africa (SA) to perform at their shows.
To a certain degree, I can sympathise with our artists and agree that some event organisers only choose certain Namibian artists for their line-ups at shows and there isn’t much diversity when it comes to the performers, but again, this is just a reaction to the industry. You can trace back the number of hits churned out over the past two years and there is consistency in the names that pop up. And those are the names we see perform as supporting acts at shows most South African artists are booked to perform at. I also agree with artists in the country saying they do not get treated the same when it comes to technical riders compared to SA artists. Your manager probably needs to put their foot down when it comes to your requirements.
I have a problem with artists complaining that event organisers are killing the industry. I like to look at things holistically. Local DJs are booked at these shows; MCs who host the shows at times are Namibians; graphic designers, videographers, caterers, hotels and content creators all benefit from these bookings, but musicians only focus on themselves. Do you see how the ecosystem benefits everyone? Another issue is that the artists making these complaints have not had a solid hit song in a while. What do you expect to perform? What is your bargaining and negotiation chip? How many times will you perform the same choreography to the same songs Namibians are familiar with? This is why event organisers look to SA for bookings.
Instead, what I would advise those ones who complain about not getting bookings is: Host your own shows. You can partner up with local event organisers outside of Windhoek and give small-town music lovers something to look forward to. In the past few weeks and months, creatives like Manxebe, Tswazis, DJ Alba, Top Cheri and DJ Spuzza have all shown that being booked outside of Windhoek can pull big crowds and I believe a lot of Namibian musicians can successfully emulate that.
As usual, let’s prioritise local content and keep on empowering Namibian artists. Peri nawa!
*Shona Ngava is a Namibian music activist, radio personality and brand manager.
There is this notion from a few Namibian musicians that event organisers and promoters in the industry are stifling them and have made a mockery of their artistry because they are booking acts from South Africa (SA) to perform at their shows.
To a certain degree, I can sympathise with our artists and agree that some event organisers only choose certain Namibian artists for their line-ups at shows and there isn’t much diversity when it comes to the performers, but again, this is just a reaction to the industry. You can trace back the number of hits churned out over the past two years and there is consistency in the names that pop up. And those are the names we see perform as supporting acts at shows most South African artists are booked to perform at. I also agree with artists in the country saying they do not get treated the same when it comes to technical riders compared to SA artists. Your manager probably needs to put their foot down when it comes to your requirements.
I have a problem with artists complaining that event organisers are killing the industry. I like to look at things holistically. Local DJs are booked at these shows; MCs who host the shows at times are Namibians; graphic designers, videographers, caterers, hotels and content creators all benefit from these bookings, but musicians only focus on themselves. Do you see how the ecosystem benefits everyone? Another issue is that the artists making these complaints have not had a solid hit song in a while. What do you expect to perform? What is your bargaining and negotiation chip? How many times will you perform the same choreography to the same songs Namibians are familiar with? This is why event organisers look to SA for bookings.
Instead, what I would advise those ones who complain about not getting bookings is: Host your own shows. You can partner up with local event organisers outside of Windhoek and give small-town music lovers something to look forward to. In the past few weeks and months, creatives like Manxebe, Tswazis, DJ Alba, Top Cheri and DJ Spuzza have all shown that being booked outside of Windhoek can pull big crowds and I believe a lot of Namibian musicians can successfully emulate that.
As usual, let’s prioritise local content and keep on empowering Namibian artists. Peri nawa!
*Shona Ngava is a Namibian music activist, radio personality and brand manager.
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