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ARTISTS: NO PAYMENT, NO PERFORMANCES

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MBABANE – The era where performances by local artists were free is up. Local artists are up in arms as they are contesting and condemning promoters who do not pay for their performances.

This initiative was started by rapper Kangaroo who was blatantly complaining in public about a promoter who has not paid him for a month now.
According to research done, many local artists have had a problem with promoters both locally and internationally where they end up not getting paid their performance fees and it is later said they were given a platform to promote themselves and their music to the public.
This act has proven to be a norm in Swaziland as revealed by artists who did not wish their identities known.


However, Kangaroo did not mind his identity being revealed because he said he was tired of the way local artists are taken for granted with the work they put in towards their brands only to be paid peanuts or not be paid at all after a performance.


During an interview the local rapper had with the Entertainment Desk, he said he saw it fit to come out and speak about this because most local promoters then hide under the notion of ‘promoting local’, where it is sold to them in a manner of a win situation whereby the promoter then turns around and says they won’t pay the artist because he has been given a platform to promote their work.
The rapper stated that he has been manipulated for a long time as he was trying to grow his brand.


“I have not been paid by promoters for most of my shows and this time around I cannot keep quiet. I have  not  been given my money for a month now and I know other artists suffer the same way and its time that this stops,” said the rapper. He also stated that if anyone wished to hire his services, he will now demand a deposit before any form of advertising is made.


“They will pay me the balance after my performance. It is not ok to beg for your money after you have delivered,” he said.
Another rapper, Lyrikal Busta, agreed with Kangaroo’s argument, stating that he has been ‘abused’ and not been given what was due to him after his performance.


“And this happened many times to me,” he said.
“It is very painful and heartbreaking to experience this. We spend hours, sometimes days and months, perfecting our product to reach international levels, and also, studio time is not cheap. Art is more than a passion; it is a profession in which we make a living from. It is our bread and butter,” he said.

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