It is not the game as usual; even the prominent musicians feel the competition. The number of musician has more than tripled and more come up each day. There are copyright enforcement challenges in Uganda. Few take it seriously. It would be a lie to say that musician can target it as their only source of revenue.
Creativity matters in music. There are Ugandan musicians who have been one hit wonders and have since been forgotten. Creativity means writing great songs with new angles after studying the market. Obviously the creativity of Ugandans has also included copyright infringement. Some simply recycle Jamaican beats and presenting them as their own. Though dancehall is relatively marketable in Uganda, other song styles can still get a breakthrough.
Flood the market with more songs as a musician. There is no longer much focus on albums. Singles and duets have been behind the success of most upcoming musicians. For example King Saha show was predicted to flop because they thought he could not have a show on the same day with chameleon.He surprised many when he had a full house. Days before Chameleon and King Saha shows were held on the same day, Bebe cool went to Facebook and asked Ugandans to stop comparing them .Bebe cool's controversial statement went viral ,and soon he would eat his words. He seemed to imply that upcoming musicians are nothing. Gundeze show of King Saha filled up Freedom city beyond its capacity. Interestingly, both shows were well attended. Duets can market a musician and double their fan base. If two musicians come together for a duet, it is as if the song merges their fans. The more media appearance of a musician (video,news,radio),the more concerts, brand endorsements offers and event gigs they are likely to get. The rush to release songs has its disadvantages. It explains the bubblegum music. People are rushing to put out demo songs even before they are mastered. A song is played for only two weeks and it is no longer on demand.
Celebrity Publicity stunts are taking musicians places. No bad publicity is bad. The common PR stunt has always been musicians fighting each other in the public. Today we seem to see musicians feature highly of on lists of leaked nude pictures and sextapes. Stunts can obviously also work against you. Publicity stunts always succeed because they are visual. Stunts are able to set the agenda of discussion and also keep the subject fresh in the media and minds of many. For example some musicians have made their wedding ceremonies dramatic just to attract media attention. Stunts are effective communications tools when used well but they require creativity, proper planning, and media management skills. Controversy sells. A few unusual pictures of a musician may push their career to the next level if they go viral online. Everyone will want to check out their songs. A publicity stunt is just like turning tap water into a Tsunami. The event remains fresh in the minds of media professionals and the public. Stunts are effective communication tools when used well and useless time wasters when they are not. With publicity stunts, timing is a component of success.
Branding and communication is key because of the Ugandan crowded music industry. A musician must be transformed into a brand t stand out. This does not only include impeccable stage names, dress codes, and styles of music. The musician must be seen to show professionalism even when producing videos or audio songs. Branding will help any musician with target audience management locally and internationally. Branding also handles talent management.
Music in Uganda requires aggressive marketing. There are many media houses to target. Musicians'' marketing teams must also engage local movie translators to place their videos on movie DVDs they sale. Social media is a must have communication tool for musicians. Musicians have to keep in touch with their fans online and offline. Social media is better way to announce new releases.
Ivan .N.Baliboola
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Ivan.N.Baliboola
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