WHERE HAS ALL THE LIVE MUSIC GONE The headline local acts for the recently announced Durban Heritage Festival feature Hugh Masekela, Johnny Clegg and Oliver Mtukudzi. The one thing that these three artists have in common is age. Masekela and Mtukudzi must be close to seventy, and sure Clegg is close to sixty? So where are all the fresh new South African and African acts?

I remember a time when the local music industry looked like it was getting ready to conquer the world.
Jimmy Dludlu, Judith Sephuma, Moses Mulelekwa, Paul Hanmer, to name but a few, were creating serious waves.
Springbok Nude Girls, Just Ginger and a few others were riding the wave internationally.
I can’t seem to think of any emerging artist that is creating anything of the sort.
Well Freshlyground does not really qualify in my book, but I suppose I should mention them.

 

Recently, recording studios along with CD sales have taken a dive.
That’s because the internet has made it possible for artists to record, release and distribute their music without having to share the bulk of their income with the so-called music moguls.
But then, piracy is also responsible for artists not realising anything close to the full potential of selling their music.

Internationally though, the money raked in from live performances has skyrocketed.
So much so that services offering to hunt down tickets for these concerts have become big business online.
This is the one aspect of the industry that cannot be hijacked by technology.

Why then, is there such a shortage of exciting, original and fresh artists in South Africa?

Oh yes.
South African audiences do not support local artists.

Kader Khan
Editor
info@yummie.co.za