Aki my blogging mojo is doing its karabasha again. I am technically losing all sense of bloggin hope. I am thinking of taking another hiatus. Maybe I am suffering from SAD. Let me get back to you on that one.
I was watching I’m A Celebrity…..GET ME OUT OF HERE! last night and so far my favourite has to be David Gest. Dude snores like its running out of fashion. The whole camp was up trying to figure out how to stop him and all the time Myleene Klass was in fits of vichekoz. I wonder how long it will last before they are irritated by his ‘sleep vibratories’!?!! LOL!!!
A few weeks ago saw the Pulse talk about Kenyan music and then recently they touched on the videos. Acolyte went and touched on the subject and possible areas our so called artists are going wrong. egm on the other hand pointed out the most possible areas these artists are going wrong. In my opinion, it all boils down to money and politics.
Money
- To get the necessary equipment to create a live band for tours or better equipment for the road.
- To pay for the band and their expenses.
- I am sure someone somewhere has thought of a Mastering plant. Why go all the way to Asia or Europe to mass produce your CDs? Wouldn’t it be cost effective to have it done at home? Afterall, it will bring employment to the country and reduce on expenses incurred whilst abroad. More CDs will be produced. Wouldn’t this even make the laws of copyright more manageable…..or what do I know?
Politics
- I still believe that the “unless you know someone at the top, you are basically effed in Kenya” attitude is our own downfall.
- Someone always has to have a ‘cut’ of the profits. Look at the telecommunications sector and why we are lagging behind.
I know I have left out alot of issues (that mojo thing again).
Kenyans are talented, its a shame most of it goes unnoticed. Such incidents are appaling and if Kenya had faster internet, mediums like YouTube would do wonders for the unseen talent. Getting their audience through their own hard work. Then again, if you can spend a certain amount of chums to make a music video, why not send it to one of your pals (abroad) to put it up on the web for you? Look for other target audiences other than the local media to promote your stuff.
Circute reveals that he spent Sh180,000 when shooting the ‘Maharagwe’ video clip. “I remember hiring a venue at Kasarani Stadium for three hours that cost me Sh40,000.” Other expenses included paying for the services of video producer Kingast and the Redyklass’ member Tony Njuguna who made a cameo in the video. “It is sad that after spending such a huge amount the TV music producers just end up trashing the clip.”
I will always support what Kenyans try to achieve, but that is a very thin line. I remember asking an artist once why they didn’t have any CDs with them when they had a tour. The answer I got was shocking to say the least. Yet you are the same person who will complain about people burning and copying your music, yet you don’t bring originals with you on tour???? PLANNING, PLANNING, PLANNING. Look at the case of Wawesh. He went to Kenya and had CDs couriered to him. They ended up getting to Kenya and being relased to him when they were leaving. Yet, he didnt disappoint his fans, he put some aside in his personal luggage, JUST IN CASE. When I was at K’Naan’s gig, he had live recordings of his gig on sale. It doesnt take a genius to figure out what I am trying to say…..but I hope my sentiments on the issue are clear.
On to other matters, I am really enjoying my kacrib. Shame about not having no one to talk to like I was used to. One thing though, what is it about your pals. You tell them that you have a place of your own, they start arranging for stay overs and ‘christening’ bashes. Anyway, like I said. Let me enjoy the peace and quite while it is here.
Now that Casino Royale is being released this week in the UK, I wonder if it will live up to all the hype in the media right now. I will go watch it this coming weekend and give my two cents (calling Couch ‘Tato and Movie Buff). Last movie I watched was ‘The Departed’. I highly recommend it if you haven’t watched it.
This week I am listening to: A Jomino Records CD
Good day y’all!!!
My Life is...Mochalicious! 
Unfortunately money and politics sure play a big role in music. But like you say, if you are creative, those two don’t have to necessarily hold you back as much as they do. I was reading this article on Shu. The bit that caught my eye was this paragraph that reads, “…Although I’d rather be writing a song or playing onstage, I spend a lot of man hours on the Internet and on MySpace searching for people who like other artists that I think share an affinity with me and reaching out to them – every single one of them – and saying, ‘Listen to my music’…” He also goes on to say that determination, ambition and a lot of hard work are three core things he can pin down his success to. Although musicians in Kenya may not have the resources that Shu has available to him, I think those same three things could very well propel someone from obscurity to the limelight. The money and the politics will then cease to be as much of a debilitating influence.
Kenyan Artistes have all the odds on their side
A poor people
and
a Stupid themselves.
I have been trying to get a Jua Cali Tshirt. I have been told i have to go to Calif to get it. i hve no idea where Calife is and even if i got there i still don’t know where calif records is.
Sheer stupidity that is.
or is it Lack of business sense.
The music industry is developing well!
I think 10 years from now, it will be (maybe 10 times?) better-However, who wants to wait 10 years?:-)(or till 2030)
What can they do now?
Maybe, like TZ musicians recently,they can start not just hosting A-list American celebs, but getting a chance to record songs with them as well-good promotion i think! However, we, and TZ should do this not just with International artistes but with local and international talent as well
Wish someone had done a collabo with Lebo Mathosa..
From there, i’m out of ideas(if that was even one!)
@egm…thanks for that article. It surely does bring alot to light and I hope someone in Nai in the entertainment industry is reading this. Resources are not everything. Take for example Jay Z’s (or is it BIGGIE) humble beginnings. They grew up in country with the resources and yet they hit the streets to make it happen for themselves.
@shiroh….go out, buy a t-shirt and have it printed the way you wanted. If any of the Calif dudes comes to ask you where you got it from or whatever, just tell what you had to go through to get it and if it was readily available they would have made the money. Instead someone else has from their hard work. That too can be a wake up call.
@Luke….true. In ten years, we have come a long way. Look at Homeboyz, it has taken them just as long to get things rolling. You are right too, why do we have to wait for so long for them to get it right. Others may come, find us and the leave us and I hope it doesn’t get to that.
I think some of those obstacles you have given can be easily overcome.
In the case of instruments and live band. Let me tell you, there are many hungry jobless musicians in Narobi who would gladly play on a per gig basis.
As for expenses I think quality sells itself.If you play well then you will be able to command fees to pay for the band. There are bands in Kenya like those peeps who always sing at Choices (forgot there name) who are doing quite well for themselves.
I think to some extent music in Kenya is less infected with the “you have to know someone” attitude. Yes I do know it may result in less radio play but there are other ways to get your music out there. Let matatus play it, sell cheap tapes, myspace, perform perform perform etc. There are many artistes abroad who make a living and they get minimal radio and video exposure ie Ben Harper.
I also think good videos can be made cheap. It is not the setting that sells the video but ideas. Have you seen the video on MTV of the dudes singing on treadmills? That wasnt too expensive but it won video of the year I think or some other award.
I don’t think a cd pressing plant is neccesary when you can get a comp that has an industrial cd burner attached aka toaster and a printer that can do cds and cd covers. Make the music affordable that way and accessible to the grass roots and as I said earlier artistes need to remember the tape isn’t dead in Africa yet.Quite a few people still have tape players in their cars and at home and tapes are very cheap.
Kenyan musicians can moan and moan but the fact remains that if they don’t adopt like many other Kenyan businesses have they will perish!
@Acolyte…I was wondering when you would pop your head ’round here. LOL!!!
Yes, the obstacles can be easily overcome, but how many of the artists have actually done it and I mean the mainstream ones you and I abroad know of? Very few. The ones we don’t know of are there, but how can we get to hear their music if they are not out there using the global media tools to promote themselves?
The “you have to know someone” is more out there than most of us would like to admit. Yes, they can get their music to the public by free promo, but don’t forget, most of them want to feed themselves and their families. I think they are just ‘lazy’ and the ones making the money are exploiting that fact. Poxi (RIP) led the way when he was selling his cassettes outside the Harlequin Sports Ground during Safari Sevens when he was starting out, are other following suit or what?
Yes, I also agree with you that videos can be made cheap. I saw that video of the dudes singing on the treadmills and I was hooked from the beginning to the end. THAT IS CALLED CREATIVITY…..which in my opinion, we have a long way to go to reach such a
level. Don’t get me wrong, we have come a long way from the VOK/KBC studio days to watch our artists do their thing and there is plenty room for improvement. I remember when DSTV just launched in Kenya and that was at the same time I think Kalamashaka, etc were starting out. A lady from the company was in Kenya to promote DSTV and in one interview she was asked what can Kenyans do to make their videos be seen on Channel O (something to that effect). She said that they had a certain criteria and the equipment being used at the time were not suitable for broadcast. Apparently, rumour had it that the necessary equipment was there, but locked up in the KBC studios due to ‘lack of funds’ for people to hire them. Besides, you had to know someone with the power to have them released to you.
As for the pressing plant…this is where I beg to differ with you. We do need one. There only so much a software in your computer, a burner and printer can do in a studio. If that is the case, then way go abroad to mass produce your CDs, where as the money for travel, accomodation and other expenses while you out there can be used to purchase the equipment? A ‘studio plant’ is good for promo CDs to take to gigs and other events, but what about the shops and online shopping? Don’t tell me that a ‘studio plant’ that most probably produces 200+ a day (these are just my estimates, it could be more or less) can compete with a pressing plant that can produce 10,000+ a day at the fraction of the cost? Besides, a pressing plant will create employment and revenue for Kenya and Kenyans alike and it doesnt have to limit it to CDs only. It can be expanded to VCDs, DVDs and the cassettes and video tapes. With the ‘rest’ of the world moving to HD and Blue Ray discs, these machines will now be cheaper and Kenya being a ‘juakali’ nation, spare parts will not run out. Creating more possible jobs. I also asked a well know producer if one is needed in Kenya and the answer was,”Yes, we need one badly.”
Damn…this is a post in the comments section. OOPSS!!!