Numbers don't lie
His tenacious work ethic is impressive and lends testament to Gazza's sheer dedication to his craft, regardless of what it might be, at any given time.
Gazza's pure passion has shaken the music space with the art he produces and the standards he sets. Look, there isn't really a perfect way to introduce a superstar who needs no introduction, so to put it in simple terms, tjil had the opportunity to take some inspiration from the musical genius that is Gazza in the midst of the success of his 12th studio album.
Albums and CD sales aren't seen as a priority to most music consumers and they are not a major source of income for the artist. It is for this reason that the music industry globally is experiencing the trend of artists becoming single-reliant and doing well with it.
Despite these challenges in the music business, Gazza has cracked the code to package solid albums that still sell well in this tough music economy.
His formula is taking time to study the environment and the market to come up with strategic ways to distribute his music to the masses. “I am not saying that the sale of physical copies isn't declining, but there is still a market. It is about identifying that market and finding ways to serve it.
“We printed 10 000 copies which we sold over a weekend and we had to print 2 000 more so in total we have sold 12 000 physical copies. I give thanks to Namibia Breweries and Windhoek Draught for allowing me to use their network for this album to reach such a wide audience.”
His Chelete music video recently hit one million views on YouTube, a big milestone not only for him but for the Namibian music industry as a whole. He told tjil that reaching a million views is proof that he has the support he needs to move mountains. He describes the support from his fans as overwhelming and says it ever-so-subtly puts him under pressure to perform beyond what he thinks he is capable of.
He noted that he is not complaining because this overpowering support drives him to do better.
“I did not view my video a million times. It was the people who did it and I hope it is just going to grow and open doors for other musicians to follow suit and see what they can achieve with their own talents,” said Gazza on hitting a million views.
The GMP boss has captured the jukebox and radio scene with infectious song after infectious song, so it was always clear that he could produce bangers. On Misunderstood he has expanded that range.
He mentioned that he recorded most of the songs alone in studio which granted him freedom to be honest with himself without any judgements from the entourage that is normally around when he records.
“Sometimes people come with their expectations and they expect you to spit fire from the first line but it does not always happen like that when creating music. I allowed myself to make mistakes, even sounds that didn't sound nice in my head sounded perfect when I laid them down on the beats.”
With 12 albums under his belt, many young artists reference Gazza as their blueprint in the music industry. Reflecting back to when he got into the music game with a handful of local artists, he mentioned Jackson Kaujeua, Ras Sheehama, Matongo Family and Jossy Joss as his blueprints. These artists gave Gazza the confidence to believe that he too could make it in the music industry. He added that he is fortunate enough to have crossed paths with all of them and gathered information about the industry at the time that he uses in his everyday life as an artist. “Learning from them has prepared me for what I am facing right now as an artist,” he said.
Offering advice to new artists who wish to have a sustainable music career like his, Gazza accentuated that good music does not happen by choice by chance. He said this is why he is in studio every day and hoping to make that smash hit because you never know when it comes. Gazza believes if you are driven by passion and love you are going to keep digging until you find it, and when you get it you will still not feel satisfied because you know and believe that you can do better that that. And that is what keeps him going.
“I believe one day I will make a song that the whole world will sing along to. Only then will I take it easy and say I have made it, but for now I am not even sure if I am half way there,” he said.
On longevity, Gazza said he is fortunate enough to have a radio song that the public loves to consume every year. He also feels like the longer he is in the music industry the more he discovers his musical capabilities. “As I grow I adhere less to what the trends are and admit more to how I want music to sound, the more support and I get the more confidence I get to adhere to my musical abilities,” said Gazza.
At this point of his music career, he has won numerous awards; he has an impressive catalogue of music and a record label. His mission statement now is to make his record label self-sustainable. He said, even though his label has stood the test of time, he does not necessarily treat it as a successful record label because it is not self-sustainable. His mission is to put in place proper organisational structures for both business and the creative part of the label, which is also fundamental in running a label. “It is called the music business because if the business part is properly aligned but there is not delivery in terms of music then it is pointless,” said Gazza, concluding that he finds it challenging to run both the business and creative aspects of the label.
MICHAEL KAYUNDE
Albums and CD sales aren't seen as a priority to most music consumers and they are not a major source of income for the artist. It is for this reason that the music industry globally is experiencing the trend of artists becoming single-reliant and doing well with it.
Despite these challenges in the music business, Gazza has cracked the code to package solid albums that still sell well in this tough music economy.
His formula is taking time to study the environment and the market to come up with strategic ways to distribute his music to the masses. “I am not saying that the sale of physical copies isn't declining, but there is still a market. It is about identifying that market and finding ways to serve it.
“We printed 10 000 copies which we sold over a weekend and we had to print 2 000 more so in total we have sold 12 000 physical copies. I give thanks to Namibia Breweries and Windhoek Draught for allowing me to use their network for this album to reach such a wide audience.”
His Chelete music video recently hit one million views on YouTube, a big milestone not only for him but for the Namibian music industry as a whole. He told tjil that reaching a million views is proof that he has the support he needs to move mountains. He describes the support from his fans as overwhelming and says it ever-so-subtly puts him under pressure to perform beyond what he thinks he is capable of.
He noted that he is not complaining because this overpowering support drives him to do better.
“I did not view my video a million times. It was the people who did it and I hope it is just going to grow and open doors for other musicians to follow suit and see what they can achieve with their own talents,” said Gazza on hitting a million views.
The GMP boss has captured the jukebox and radio scene with infectious song after infectious song, so it was always clear that he could produce bangers. On Misunderstood he has expanded that range.
He mentioned that he recorded most of the songs alone in studio which granted him freedom to be honest with himself without any judgements from the entourage that is normally around when he records.
“Sometimes people come with their expectations and they expect you to spit fire from the first line but it does not always happen like that when creating music. I allowed myself to make mistakes, even sounds that didn't sound nice in my head sounded perfect when I laid them down on the beats.”
With 12 albums under his belt, many young artists reference Gazza as their blueprint in the music industry. Reflecting back to when he got into the music game with a handful of local artists, he mentioned Jackson Kaujeua, Ras Sheehama, Matongo Family and Jossy Joss as his blueprints. These artists gave Gazza the confidence to believe that he too could make it in the music industry. He added that he is fortunate enough to have crossed paths with all of them and gathered information about the industry at the time that he uses in his everyday life as an artist. “Learning from them has prepared me for what I am facing right now as an artist,” he said.
Offering advice to new artists who wish to have a sustainable music career like his, Gazza accentuated that good music does not happen by choice by chance. He said this is why he is in studio every day and hoping to make that smash hit because you never know when it comes. Gazza believes if you are driven by passion and love you are going to keep digging until you find it, and when you get it you will still not feel satisfied because you know and believe that you can do better that that. And that is what keeps him going.
“I believe one day I will make a song that the whole world will sing along to. Only then will I take it easy and say I have made it, but for now I am not even sure if I am half way there,” he said.
On longevity, Gazza said he is fortunate enough to have a radio song that the public loves to consume every year. He also feels like the longer he is in the music industry the more he discovers his musical capabilities. “As I grow I adhere less to what the trends are and admit more to how I want music to sound, the more support and I get the more confidence I get to adhere to my musical abilities,” said Gazza.
At this point of his music career, he has won numerous awards; he has an impressive catalogue of music and a record label. His mission statement now is to make his record label self-sustainable. He said, even though his label has stood the test of time, he does not necessarily treat it as a successful record label because it is not self-sustainable. His mission is to put in place proper organisational structures for both business and the creative part of the label, which is also fundamental in running a label. “It is called the music business because if the business part is properly aligned but there is not delivery in terms of music then it is pointless,” said Gazza, concluding that he finds it challenging to run both the business and creative aspects of the label.
MICHAEL KAYUNDE
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