By Tadiwa Jery
The Zimbabwean music industry has witnessed evolution from the time of the all time greats like Oliver Mtukudzi to the new and upcoming arists. Once recognised as more of a hobby than a profession, it took the general public time to appreciate the art and value it brings.
The ease of access to different international music genres inspired diversity in the Zimbabwean music industry. This has allowed the new wave of artists to produce music to match international standards.
In an interview done by this publication with one of the upcoming artists, Michael Musekiwa, also known as VI the Law, he said the production quality of Zimbabwean music keeps getting better each year. This has given artists the chance to do collaborations with other international artists and has also made some of the music feature in Netflix shows, like Blood and Water.
With the economy being unable to fully support the talent in the music industry, using the internet to penetrate the global market gives artists the chance to earn a living. Generating income online will not only improve the life of the musician, but it will bring in foreign currency to the country.
To make this possible, local artists need support from the public and private sector. Funding upcoming artists, buying their music, paying for copyrights and sharing their work online is a great start towards helping them. Mr Musekiwa also said that government investment in facilitating more festivals and shows to allow artists to make money would be greatly appreciated.
The industry has become more than entertainment, investing in it as a business will help in improving the economic status of Zimbabwe as a whole.
