6 Lessons Artists Must Learn from ‘Anacondagate’

I have been following the events around what I like to refer to now as 'anacondagate' with amusement and fascination. From what seemed to be like a random rant by Tanzania’s leading songstress crying foul against her former manager in an industry that she has dominated for more than a decade to a near schism in the industry that pitted music lovers against each other along lines comparable to those resulting from the ‘Sugu’ assault that created traction in the lower echelons of society creating the so called 'vinega' cult not more than a year ago.

But it only takes a quick glance across our boarders to appreciate how dire the situation is in the music industry in Tanzania today by comparison to other countries of comparable size. First off, I must declare that I have a lot of respect for two media entities in particular, namely Clouds FM and EATV primarily for their pioneering role in pushing Bongo Flava forward. Clouds FM may be on the receiving end of a lot of spite from disgruntled artists but it should never be overlooked that Clouds FM was the only radio station to offer a platform to the new voice of Tanzanian music at the time, which was generally frowned on by most mainstream media. EATV gave these amazing voices a face and sold bongo pop/ flava to places as far out as Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya, which at the time did not have a ‘bongo flava’ type of local branded pop music to boast. Tanzania was the benchmark for the East African sound of choice and artists like Chamileon clamored about to work with the likes of Lady Jaydee and Mr Nice (then King of Takeu).

10years down the line this story has flip turned. The top ten earners and pop music trend setters in Africa no longer features Tanzanians. In as much as our music has evolved, our music industry has not. I remember meeting with a much younger Hon. Joseph ‘Sugu’ Mbiling’i as he was organizing the Hip Hop Summit of 2004.  He spoke quite passionately and with immense resolve about music being business and who would dare dispute that! Music is a mainstay in business and forms an integral part in many other industries and is by far the world’s biggest passion.  But music can only mean real business if the industry is formalized (a dirty word in a market like ours where people capitalize on the informal nature of the system to make a quick killing). 

I have been observing the industry and speaking to enough musicians to learn that the problem is not this one person (name under seal) that keeps being referenced by most of the aggrieved. So long as we keep depending on people instead of investing in self sustaining systems we will be exposing ourselves to disappointment. That said those of us who break through in such a market have a moral obligation to build beyond our personal interests. In this regard, the music industry is not an exception to the rule, but a reflection of a greater social crux that is eating away at our country. Tanzania, as a whole, ranks off opportunism. People who are privileged to get into the ‘system’ suddenly feel exceptional and instead of filling gaps they manipulate the gaps in the system for personal gain without much consideration for the consequences of their actions on others. In such a state the kind and considerate end up becoming the laughing stalk of society.

The true enemy of the development of anything in this country is embedded in this ‘opportunistic’ culture that we have allowed to take route and become the benchmark for excellence in society.  We glorify people’s wealth without much concern for whose blood was taken, whose road won’t be built, whose school books went missing, whose pension will not be enough, or whose albums were pirated to get it. Our development agenda will never generate the traction required if we do not invest in self sustaining systems across the board that promote effort and results and contain personal interests in the face of a greater good. You may blame ‘him’ but I blame you.

That said I conclude with a word of hope for our artists in particular. Don’t waste time looking for someone to blame. I always say in life you have two option: do something about it or die doing nothing; not much of a choice. I fault ‘anacondagate’ for its divisive approach (which I hope will end fashionably) but it demonstrates, none-the-less, that artists have the power to be the change they desire. Tanzanian artists, even under these dire conditions, could be much better off if they follow the lessons that I propose below in reflection of the recent events around “anacondagate”:

Lesson1: Fear not the manager you are the boss. 
You are the star and that is why you need a manager! The star is always bigger than the manager. Jaydee has had the fortune of working with the best if not shrewdest managers in the industry much to her overall benefit, but at the end she (aka ‘commando’) calls the shots and if her managers cannot take the heat she is quick to show her them the door out of the kitchen. It is the artist’s responsibility to engage properly a manager and no one else. Remember, business is not about charity and the best negotiator always wins so up your game or prepare to always loose; in which case you have no one to blame but yourself.

Lesson2: Stars do not shine forever. 
You will not be a star forever so make the most of it while you can. You’ll make enough money to save and invest for the inevitable dry spell. Diversify your portfolio enough to reduce core dependency on music performance over time. Jaydee’s earning dependency on music performance possibly left her vulnerable and exposed to the worst of the trade. So possibly investing in a radio station or otherwise could do the trick for her in the long run.

Lesson 3: Keep your friends close and fans closer. 
Loyal fans outstrip money in the long run so never undermine them. They will come out and support you when you need them most! The worst thing you can do is not to appreciate your fans when you are on top of the world. Remember, your social significance and earnings are a function of the number fans you have and the value each brings to the table. Jaydee is the Madonna of our industry commanding a following of fans with deep pockets willing to pay large sums to see her perform live the songs they loved even if they are not buying her CDs.

Lesson 4: The artist matters just as much as the art. 
You will become famous from your unique art or talent but you will become even more famous if you top that up with an interesting personality. Jaydee (now aka anaconda) also demonstrates how your personality is a plus or a minus to your business model. Jaydee in an unprecedented move took to mudslinging via social media; but it was “binti machozi’s” desperate plight for help in this male dominated industry that won her sympathy votes from legions of predominantly female fans who had in recent time forgotten that she still needed their love. After all Jaydee built her musical empire by belting out ballads that spoke her inner vulnerabilities as a girl child, a woman so it was the perfect lever her to re-connect with her fans albeit by chance and not design.

Lesson 5: Competition can build if it adds value to the total market. 
But the golden rule being that its business and should never be personal. That said, money has to be made and money was made, at least I believe. No better way to stir up the spirit of your followers than to pit them against your competitor’s followers. Yanga vs Simba, CCM vs Chadema, ManU vs Chelsea, Clouds FM vs Everyother FM, Pepsi vs Coke, Vodacom vs Airtel, and now Anakonda vs… That said healthy competition should give more consumers a reason to consume more and not result into an encroachment of sorts into someone else’s share of a reducing base. Jaydee is as unique a musician as they get (a diva who is also referred to as a commando – how can you beat that?) and anacondagate did nothing more than ignite a renewed interest in her brand by her legion of followers that was long overdue.

Lesson 6: Know the business not just the music.
The music industry across the globe eats people alive when they voluntarily walk into the lion’s mouth. That’s why you have PDiddy, who with less musical talent has amassed a greater fortune than Snoop Doggy, with more musical talent, could ever imagine. The big difference between the two: one knows business and the other is just a good musician. Music to most start-up artists in Tanzania comprises of a music producer (typically a sound engineer with limited music knowledge), a DJ (who will hopefully push for airplay if you tip them) and the blame game when things go wrong. Music is a business like any other and comprises of a product that is created, produced, packaged, distributed and marketed for people to consume through various media. Jaydee, like many others, has an opportunity to expand her horizon of consideration for music as a business.

Little to her knowledge, but her product offering/brand required a revamp, which ‘anaconda’ has delivered with a powerful punch. In this day and age of social media, it is fool hardy to attribute the success or failure of a song to any one radio station, so even Jaydee did not know that she had the power literally in her hands. If you don’t believe that talk to Justin Bieber and then get back to me on the same. Get your fans to like you and your song and radio stations would be foolish not to play it and not the other way around. There is nothing more important in business than consumer insight and creativity.