The Sunday Mail
Takudzwa Chihambakwe —
HAS the magical pull factor for multi-awarding winning musician, Jah Prayzah, dropped or is it just a sign of the tough times that caused him to perform for a paltry crowd at the 7 Arts Theatre recently?
Many might say it was the January disease effect but if we rewind back to last year at more or less the same time, and at the same venue, Jah Prayzah, together with Winky D, performed for a full house at the “2016 Ignition Concert”.
This time around, the auditorium was not even half full with the tickets pegged at US$15.
As the night wore on, the organising team reduced ticket prices but all was in vain as only a handful more people found their way into the virtually empty 800 plus seater auditorium.
We spoke to Jah Prayzah’s manager to find out what really caused such a drop in numbers at the show.
“Generally most people were complaining of economic hardships this past January compared to January 2016.
“We started to experience drops in attendance to shows since mid-year last year and this is due to the tough economic climate prevailing as people do not have as much spending power as they used to have.
“This has not only affected us but many other musicians and we are grateful that we still have people attending our shows as fellow artistes are performing in empty auditoriums.”
Mushapaidze said that going forward, they will focus on events that are cheaper to afford fans an opportunity to see Jah Prayzah performing.
“We have different pricing models, each depending on the type of show. So we will have high class shows such as those when international acts are involved, these will definitely be expensive.
“But we will focus more on shows that will see our fans paying less so that they continue to attend Jah Prayzah’s shows. The Friday show at the 7 Arts Theatre was an eye opener and we had our lessons.
“I believe another aspect to factor in for these high class shows is adequate marketing, so that people prepare in time and save up for the show,” said Mushapaidze.
However, despite the low turnout, Jah Prayzah’s performance was excellent and he used the event to unveil his new lead guitarist, Brian Tsiga. The Gweru-bred guitarist showcased exceptional guitar playing skills, proving he could fit into the big shoes left by Baba Harare.
