WHY ARE LOCAL ENTERTAINERS PAID LESS?

MBABANE - Are local artists paid what’s due to them?

It takes so much hard work and effort to be a celebrity. However, the fruits that are tagged to the title when one makes it in the field are worth it. The ability to command a huge number of fans because of the content that artists deliver plays a vital role in determining how much one can make from the industry. If you have attended an event that has been graced by top musicians, you must have noticed that artists perform for a limited amount of time. This is because of the rates that they charge per performance. Their rate card depends on the amount of influence that they have. Making money in the music industry isn’t always as simple as negotiating a salary plus waiting for your pay cheque to come in and this is what Eswatini music artists get to experience on a daily basis as they try to make their mark in the entertainment industry.

For many years, local artists have had the challenge of making a living out of the work they put in as far as their music careers are concerned and it seems it hasn’t been enough to put food on the table, at least for most. Regardless of the fact that COVID-19 has caused ‘havoc’ in the music industry, with gigs and gatherings  being cancelled therefore artists not making money  like they used to, local artists have never had the luxuries that other African artists such as South African hip hop artist Cassper Nyovest have.

Artists

According to artists booking online website, Cassper Nyovest is one of the artists who have made it big from the industry. The south African hit maker has been setting standards in South African rap music. Currently, Nyovest’s booking fees stand at R207 000 for a 30-minute performance. “While most of us make about E5 000 or a simple shout-out on social media, international artists make more money, even when they are booked to perform in the country, we as local artists make less as they are the superstars,” said M king who is local a rap artist. Could this then mean that Emaswati are not supporting their own, or they pay less, they do not book their own or simply because the music industry is not given much recognition and accolades like the rest of the other countries in Africa? The economic reality is that most musicians in any field aren’t going to make much money.  And by ‘making money’ is that most musicians just won’t be able to make a living doing music.

SWAMA (Swaziland Arts and Music Association) Public Relations Officer Zoe Genesis said, “The variations in income and standard of living between local artists and their South African contemporaries can be attributed to the glaring structural, psychological, and behavioural differences between the two markets.” She mentioned that these were; Structural: South Africa has an established arts economy, as all essential structures were put in place and are functional. These include governance structures like the Department of Arts and Culture, regulatory structures like the Recording Industry of South Africa (RISA), royalties collection societies like the Southern Africa Music Royalties Organisation (SAMRO), as well as a wide range of media platforms, at both national and community levels, that have content monitoring software used to generate statistics for ratings and royalties collection purposes. The deliberate political will at central government level to treat the arts as a formal sector whose contribution to the GDP ( gross domestic product) can be measured and recorded has enabled their industry to flourish.

Secondly; Perception/Psychological: The general small economy mind-set usually leads to a subconscious appreciate of everything that’s from a bigger economy than ours. Our people tend to assume all products made in South Africa are of a better quality than those made locally, yet ours are equally good. This mind-set then transcends to all other sectors including the arts. We have seen promoters and corporates hiring South African artists who charge an arm and a leg at the expense of our own artists due to what they perceive as better popularity for the former. This also speaks to the need of a regulatory framework for the arts so as to protect and advance local arts ahead of imported arts. If we perceive or label ourselves as inferior we will become inferior. A mind-set shift, therefore, has to prevail so as to establish and develop the arts economy of Eswatini.

And thirdly; Behavioural: Our artists’ own behaviours and lack of arts business skills and knowledge poses a challenge to the arts economy of Eswatini. Notwithstanding the lack of structural support, our artists need to stop treating their work as a ‘hustle’ (side jobs). They need to formally register their labels as companies, they need to manage their social media personae, and they need to decline being short-changed by promoters or companies who negotiate down their quotes; among many other things. Arts associations like Swaziland Arts and Music Association (SWAMA), together with the mother body Eswatini  National Council of Arts and Culture (ENCAC), should conduct focused trainings; establish arts tours and exchange programs; and establish an Arts Fund that will assist artists to access arts business loans. This will ensure there’s behavioural change towards treating their work as a career.

On the other hand, Platinum Concepts’ Khulekani ‘Karly B’ Mamba said “it may possibly considered unfair, but to some extent, it’s justifiable. The one thing we need to understand is that it’s not really the talent that people pay for, it’s the brand. Countries like SA are already a step ahead with the arts and entertainment environment, making it easy to build and position brands at a level that gives them an advantage over our own, where we are still struggling to get the well-deserved recognition, let alone an enabling environment.” There’s no reasons why the next big hit should not come from Eswatini” said local upcoming rap artist, Paco. Africa is not a region where there is a one-size-fits-all solution, but there is huge potential. Those countries are so culturally rich, and the music industry in many of them is so vibrant. There’s no reason why the next big hit should not come from a country like ours. It’s just a case of a lot of work to be done to help the local industry,” he commented. Speaking to an artist who preferred to remain anonymous, he said, what lets artists down is the organisers of certain shows who do not pay for the artists services.

Expose

“All you get is, we have given you the platform to expose yourself then they thank you with a free beer, not considering the effort and money spent prior to that certain performance,” he said. Musicians performing for free isn’t new. Fundraiser gigs have always been part of the deal; a win-win for the image of both artist and cause, and particularly prolific during Australia’s recent bushfire crisis. Elsewhere, however, there’s been a wave of unpaid, or poorly paid, requests from commercial and not-for-profit organisations, asking artists to feature in live streams that raise awareness of their brands. It is worth noting that two years ago, a group of artists lodged a complaint regarding one local hot spot which was alleged to have been paying upcoming musicians by offering them a carry-pack of their preferred alcoholic beverage after a performance.

For many musicians, all that remains as a source of income is the revenue from recordings. But if the conventions that govern paying people in this way have always been stacked against actual creators, the 21st century has made things even worse. The facts may now be well known, but that does not make them any less shocking. Musicians make money from royalties, advances, playing live, selling merchandise, and licencing fees for their music. Sounds like a lot of revenue streams, but don’t forget they often have to share the money with their backup singers, band members etc.  

Musicians

In Eswatini, musicians that are making money are artists like Sands and Bholoja, amongst others who have had to take their music outside the boarders where their music is featured on commercials and TV shows. Disc Jockeys(DJs) and artists in Eswatini are usually paid about E1 500 per hour for club events while corporate gigs range from E6000 and private events like weddings or private parties its E4 000.  In other countries like South Africa, it’s usually about E7 000 per hour, corporate gigs range from E20 000 all this depending on the brand of that particular artist and their performance requirements like extra band, vocalists etc. An economist who preferred to comment anonymously disclosed that first and foremost, the economy of the country was way below that of the neighbouring country, South Africa since most artists from that country are booked to perform locally. He went on to add that the rate at which local artists were paid less was because the Arts sector in itself needed to develop since the industry was relatively small in the country.

He further made an example of the recent unchanged allocated budget which he said would not be sufficient enough to sustain Eswatini artists and performers. “The close to E4 million allocated to the Arts sector will not be enough to help the already ailing sector as the COVID-19 pandemic has already disrupted many of their livelihoods, “the economist asserted. He went on to say that despite this, artists should always ensure that they master their craft and work in a manner that is professional so that the promoters do not exploit them. Furthermore, the economist said another factor would be that some artists preferred being paid what they were offered instead of not getting anything at all because of the lack of money thereof. “Some of the artists are entirely dependent on performances for their livelihoods so when a promoter names a price, they just take the offer without hesitating even though they deserve more,” he concluded.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: