The great music promotion scandal

The great music promotion scandal

New Zimbabwe.com editor Mduduzi Mathuthu today launches his new weekly column, Stories From Many Places, exploring the showbiz scene and the highlight of his weekly diary activities

Tuesday, June 27, 2006
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ONE of the biggest hazards in life is to hold an opinion on anything. Certainly that is true in the current climate of MDC splits, terrorism and World Cup football where ideas and opinions can provoke the most violent reactions.

The last time I tried to write a column was on my drink-fuelled trip to South Africa last December. Many mothers felt that my tales of late night boozing sessions were obscene, and they protested loud and hard that it was giving their children the wrong ideas about life.

Funny though, all those that I have met, and have reflected on those diaries thought they were a gripping read.

So, six months on, today, I once again dare openly express my views on anything and everything.
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One of the greatest scandals on the entertainment scene in the United Kingdom is the issue of rogue music promoters mushrooming all over the place with short term interests of maximising returns on their small investments.

Recently, we told how South African artist Zola was the subject of a kidnap attempt as promoters fought over money.

One individual, banned by the National Arts Council from promoting music in Zimbabwe, was at the centre of this particular row.

After almost every concert held in the UK for Zimbabwean and South African artists, we are flooded with complaints from readers complaining bitterly about these shows.

Rarely or never do you see the promoters apologising when things go wrong.

Frankly, I think this is plain wrong and is directly responsible for the dwindling numbers at music events.

The crisis was brought home to me this past weekend when top South African producer and spinner DJ Cleo flew into England for three gigs.

The numbers told their own story. An average 60 people turned up at the three venues in London, Bradford and Southampton. I was at his Southampton show on Sunday night.

There is an argument that artists should not complain about venues and how their shows are promoted or marketed since they get paid their contractual fees in advance anyway -- whether people turn up or stay at home.

But that's a simplistic argument in my view.

Artists deserve to be shown some respect, and equally, the paying public who work hard for the princely sums of money they are charged at these shows deserve better organised events.

Sadly, everything that could go wrong with the DJ Cleo gigs did go wrong.

It is scandalous that in his finest year, following the release of his monster album, Eskhaleni Ext 2, and his sterling work on Brickz's blockbuster album, Face Brick, DJ Cleo arrives in Britain in absolute anonymity and leaves feeling shunned and rejected.

The pre-publicity flyers for Cleo's gigs were just slightly bigger than a business card. True. There were no telephone numbers or contact details for the promoters. It could have been the work of a clown, just taking a belated April Fools mickey, and you couldn't have verified it.

The Freedom Bar, venue of the Southampton gig is a small, dimly-lit grubby hall with the most antiquated air conditioning system. The air is strong with cigarette smoke and the only sight of the DJ during the show is through a small egg-shaped hole.

It was easy to see why the promoter, a first timer, brought the show here. He had this view of music promotion as a spend-a-penny-and-get-£15 industry, and showed utter contempt for DJ Cleo's fans, and the artist himself.

When artists embark on these tours, they want to give the best to their fans and win new fans with their performances. But it is easy for them to lose both targets if, for instance, the show is poorly marketed and the sound system is not up to scratch.

For the fans, one of the reasons for going to these shows is the thrill of enjoying in numbers, the general atmosphere and keeping a strong sense of community. The fans become easily disillussioned and frustrated when the promoters simply fail to do the basics -- and the DJ Cleo gigs are ample testimony to that.

It is perhaps too early to say the industry needs regulation, but the moral void among some of our cash-grabbing promoters is a sure cause for concern. One way of regaining respect for the music promotion industry would be to increase the visibility of promoters on the pre-show publicity material so that the paying public can identify and isolate rogue promoters.

My weekend in Southampton would have certainly been disastrous had I not gone for a boat party the previous night. Unlike some of the boat parties which never leave the docks, we went on a four-hour cruise along the south coast thanks to the industry of DJ Sox, DJ Gibson Ncube and Welly T.

The massive boat for this fantastically arranged event had two decks, and you could choose where you wanted to be by the music played on both platforms. I rank it as the best entertainment event I have ever gone to in the United Kingdom, and there is no prize guessing why.

Mathuthu is the New Zimbabwe.com editor and his column is published every Tuesday. You can contact him at: mathuthu@newzimbabwe.com
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