Banking Beats: Africa's Music Economy

'Aid to Africa' has been a dominant theme in the media and political arenas for many years. Yet, despite the billions of dollars in development-related aid, many argue that it has done little to reduce poverty or stimulate economic growth. In contrast, the music industry in Africa has grown exponentially over the last decade and has had a direct impact on Africa's economy. African musical acts of varying genres have worldwide recognition, concert attendance numbers are in the tens of thousands, and homegrown music festivals draw a global audience. Examine the growth of the music economy in Africa and the opportunities it presents locally and internationally.

This was the official blurb for a SXSW 2012 Interactive Panel that saw Africa's rising music economy discussed. Thanks to Matthew Dawes ,one of the panelists, I was able to find the session's podcast, available here.

 

Also interesting to note that Society HAE have proposed a panel session for 2013's conference: The Promised Land: Can Africa Save The Music Biz?

Among other things, the panel proposes to focus to look at what Africa's growing economy and youth population mean for the Music Industry, as well as the partnership opportunities that exist locally for foreign investors, artists and record labels.

 

Let's wait and see if their panel proposal is selected, but I think the conversation can start/continue.

 

What do you make of Africa's music economy, as a consumer and/or producer? Feel free to share in the comments section :)

What Could You Teach Your Fans?

It's great that you can share with your fans on upcoming gigs,releases and other updates directly via your facebook page or twitter timeline, but sooner or later, a musician can pass off as snobbish and irritating ,especially for where you dedicate time to comment on or reply to fan messages. 

 

There's many ways to reach your bottom line as regards fans, whether it's getting them to buy CDs, attend a gig or earn you a 'most popular on social media' title by way of likes and follows. 

Have you ever asked yourself what else you have to offer your fans, other than entertainment? Insight, perhaps? Social commentary alongside other netizens? (Put yourself in a fan's shoes, would you like to only receive 'pushy' messages?)

www.google.com" />

Mixtapes vs (Street)Albums vs EPs: Definitions

Informed by my curiosity as to whether every artist should aim for an album as a 'career catalogue', I went about the interwebs and came across this interesting XXL Magazine breakdownof three interesting ways in which musicians can and have used to showcase their talent/art. (Check out the original article for the author's interesting personal opinions.) 

(image from the original XXL Magazine article)

 

 

MIXTAPES: 

Before and outside of hip-hop, mixtapes were a combination of various songs put together by listeners, often for friends to get different songs. When hip-hop caught on in the ’80s, DJs, who were then often bigger than the artists, showcased their skills and taste by cutting up music, blending songs, and featuring new music.

In the ’90s, mixtapes primarily shifted into two categories. Blend tapes, which would take a capellas and verses and put them against different instrumentals. Or standard mixtapes, which were the definitive way to introduce new music and artists, and most lacked any technical DJ skills. Stars were made like DJ Clue, who Def Jam signed and went platinum just playing new unreleased music.

The Internet killed the ’90s definition of mixtapes.(Personal note: I'd say, the internet redefined mixtapes, case-in-point: Mixcrate) Blogs became the new DJs by becoming the sources for premiering new music, and many mixtape DJs at the time were forced into early retirement. A few stood at the end of the day, and became stars in their own rights, releasing projects formed entirely of original music with one specific artist/crew (and often original production). Now, these were always called mixtapes, yet often didn’t have any mixing or outside artists, and sometimes were better than artist’s official album releases.

STREET ALBUMS:

Although they’re distributed virally and organically, they aren’t really a mix of anything other than that artist’s original music (i.e. an album).

Artists are also releasing street albums/EP’s at the same time, so they can provide physical distribution in stores (and when people search for that artist in the world’s biggest music store, iTunes), while still giving away the music to the true hip-hop heads, blogs, and growing their buzz organically.

EPs(Extended Plays):

With artists needing music released in the marketplace, but not wanting to “officially” drop an album, EPs have become the current “it” thing to do in hip-hop. Many artists release EPs as a way to officially get out and monetize original music while building their buzz, without having the pressures of putting out a true album.

 Further reading led me to find this analysis of EPs, especially with the rise of the indie musician.

1. EPs mean more focus:

When you plan to release only 6 songs(for instance), you can spend more of your recording time (and money) focusing on those 6 songs. If this involves studio time, it can mean money saved or more attention paid to getting top notch tracks. If recording yourself, it means more time and freedom to experiment in the studio. And when it comes to mixing this can mean more time devoted to bringing out the little nuances in each mix, as opposed to,say, 12 songs.

2. EPs mean more music:

 With a traditional artist releasing a traditional full length album, that album will generally last about 2 years. Bands typically release a few singles off their album, go on tour for a year or so, and then get back into the studio to write and release a new album. This typically happens in 2 to 3 year cycles for an active band.

This means that in order to stay relevant to your fan base you must find other ways to connect with them in between albums. Usually touring is enough. But imagine for a moment if your band decided to put out 6 song EPs from now on. You could write, record, mix, and release your EP quicker than a full length album.

3. EPs mean more growth:

EPs allow musicians to express our musical growth to the world more frequently.

 

At the end of the day, the bottom line is and should be producing good music. All the above are just means of showcasing it. :)

 

Writing A Musician Bio That Doesn't Suck!

A bio can be a tough nut to crack for independent artists. So how do you write a good bio?

First of all, proper spelling and punctuation are imperative. Don’t have errors in your bio!  Have other people proofread your bio, especially if this isn’t one of your strengths. (I’ve been guilty of spelling and grammatical errors plenty of times myself – just make sure you don’t let yourself off the hook too easily. Proofread. Care. It matters)

Image courtesy of Shafali Caricatures.

‘Popular Expression in the “Silicon Savanna”: Perspectives on the Digitization of Art and Life in Kenya’

 

Organized by Dr. Mbugua wa Mungai (Kenyatta University) and Dr. Andrew J. Eisenberg (University of Oxford), with support from the Goethe Institut-Nairobi and the European Research Council’s ‘Music, Digitization, Mediation’ Research Programme based at the University of Oxford, UK.
 
While it remains to be seen whether the digital revolution will bring Kenya’s ‘Vision 2030′ to fruition, digital technologies are clearly transforming the landscape of Kenyan popular culture.