Modibe addresses SA artists� local dominance
Dumisani Ncube | Thursday September 1, 2016 16:01
With that status quo local music entrepreneur, Seabelo Modibe recently addressed this issue in Durban during the KZN Music Imbizo, which was attended by a number of decision-makers in the South African music industry.
“Are you aware South African music is more dominant in Botswana, which makes your artists overshadow local artists? To make it worse our own artists’ music does not receive much airplay in South African radios,” stated Modibe during the KZN Music Imbizo.
While saying this he vividly told his audience that by addressing this issues he was also requesting for the South African media to show the same love the Botswana media shows them.
While Modibe was still talking Namibian music producer interrupted him stating that in Namibia they are experiencing the same issue whereby South African acts dominate on their radio stations and musical festivals without any of their Namibian artists getting recognition from South Africa.
With the complaint from the Namibian producer, Modibe suggested that musicians and music institutions in the SADC region unite to support each other in terms of SADC music being played equally on all radio stations and help artists get royalties from all the radio stations.
He also suggested that they should come together and organise music festivals that will feature artists from all the countries.
Having said so South African music business experts who included the likes of KZN Music Imbizo project manager, Sphe Mbhele suggested that an association that will support what Modibe had suggested be formed. It is currently work in progress as they are working on various logistics.
It also turned out that South African artists were complaining about the same issue as their radio situations played more of American music up until it was recently decided that radio stations there play 90% South African content.
Locally, South African artists have been dominant headliners at musical festivals, as it is highly believed a festival without an international act will have a low turn out.
Local musicians have mostly complained that these international acts are paid four times more the money they receive. In some of these festivals local acts are not even given money upon performing as promoters state that they made losses.