Ugandan artistes resort to online shows to keep afloat
Apr 23, 2020
Musician Navio's “Strength in Numbers” album will be live on his social media pages at no cost.
Undoubtedly, artistes had never dreamt of a time when they can't perform at either Lugogo Cricket Oval, Kampala Serena Hotel, Freedom City or other prominent Kampala night spots.
Well, it's already happening and from the look of things, this may keep going on especially for the entertainment industry.
This, as Richard Kasendwa alias Ziza Bafana, says, is a time when the creativity of many artistes will be tested. He says this period calls for survival for the fittest.
In the wake of all this, therefore, several musicians have resorted to staging performances online through various social media platforms.
At the beginning of this month, Ali Alibhai, through Talent Africa Group came up with an online platform where musicians are hosted to entertain partiers from the comfort of their homes.
I'm this, artistes like Beenie Gunter have already staged performances and looks like the online concerts idea is working.
Beenie Gunter
For the HipHop fraternity, The Tribe Uganda organizes several rappers everyday. Felix Byaruhanga, from Tribe Uganda, says these rappers record a one- minute freestyle each which is then spread on social media for HipHop fans to enjoy.
Some artistes who had planned to release their albums, Extended Plays, Cyphers and music videos, have not waited for the whole music environment to first clear.
To begin with HiHop legend, Tom "The Mith" Mayanja recently released his Ug Cypher part one live on YouTube. Mayanja says this is the time to make use of the internet because luckily, Ugandans are ardent users of the internet, especially now that they are idle.
Fresh songstress, Azawi, also opted to use social media to release her Repeat it video, off her Lo Fit Extended Play. On Friday last week, Azawi took to her Facebook page to inform her fans about the release.
The traffic on her page, as she released the video, was such a revelation that music could still survive even under the current circumstances. The question, however, is how ready some of our artistes are to make use of the available options.
Most of the online shows being held are free of charge, as one would expect. All that the fans need is a hefty data bundle on their smart phones and other gadgets to watch the show live.
One then wonders how the artistes will manage to make some living out of these free shows, considering the current situation.
Benon Mugumbya, of Swangz Avenue, says artistes may not make reasonable money from online shows, but these shows will help them stay relevant and active, but most most importantly, creative.
Swangz Avenue also premiered a short film called Rolex Online recently. The traffic there was a bit modest but promising.
Azawi
Alexander "A Pass" Bagonza, one of the musicians who have had strong presence on social media, says that most artistes just don't want to think widely, but the Internet with all its platforms like YouTube can be of great impact to their careers both in terms of staying relevant and making some money.
Today is not a bad day to drop hot coffee music, Mu Curfew Now on Youtube #MuCurfew 🔥🔥🔥A post shared by A Pass Bagonza 🐐 (@iamapass) onView this post on Instagram
He adds that what is taking place now is actually not new to him because he has always created musical content for YouTube.
Forthcoming online concerts
Starting with this weekend, April 25, several artistes have gone ahead to announce their events, like it's business as usual. As he had planned earlier, Navio, a HipHop artiste, will hold his album launch on Saturday.
The "Strength in Numbers" album will be live on his social media pages at no cost. One wonders how, for the first time, an online album launch in Uganda would turnout to be. However, from speculation, many think it will simply be a listeners' party.
Musician Navio
Still on Saturday, Afro-soul musician, Kenneth Mugabi, is also set to hold his "Kenneth Mugabi Live Online" show organized by Fezah.
Before the Covid-19 lockdown, Mugabi had developed the norm of organizing the same show at Design Hub in Industrial Area.
His loyal fans would fill up the space. We all wait to see the online version of Mugabi.
The chemistry between him and his fans will now be felt in the comments section. However, unlike several other online shows in this period, Mugabi's show will come at a cost, sh5000.
Away from the one-man shows, The Club Beats Online concert will also be held on Saturday with artiests like A Pass, Irene Ntale, Ykee Benda and Mr. Silverback.
With all these shows comping up, and fervent partygoers highly anticipating for them, it only proves that unless, an artiste is just lazy, the entertainment industry can still survive, regardless of the lockdown situation.