The Sunday Mail
Zion Divaris
ZIMBABWE’S music promotion jungle is notorious.
Over the years it has bankrupted a number of promoters, saw some retreating to safer businesses while others have almost died of stress-related illnesses.
The unlucky ones are, of course, buried six feet underground having gambled with their lives, literally. However, every year new promoters emerge to try their luck in the high stakes music promotion business.
One such promotions company is Kayse Connect, a hospitality and media company that is on everyone’s lips at the moment. The new kid on the block is bringing in highly sought-after reggae-dancehall singer Patoranking.
The Nigerian superstar is set to share the stage with Zimbabwean heavyweights Jah Prayzah and Winky D in what is expected to be one of the biggest concerts in the country this year.
Also on the line-up is multi award-winning musician, ExQ, whose set is one of the most anticipated performances wherever he performs. Takura, Suluman Chimbetu, Nutty O, Jah Signal, Judgement Yard and Selekta Base complete the rest of the team set to serenade the thousands of music fans expected to grace the April 26 concert.
“This is our first show. We are just taking baby steps and hoping to grow into a giant in the future. Our vision is to build the industry. Promotion is key in making the music sector more lucrative.
“We are not rigid. We do not strictly focus on music, we would like to expand and venture into other means of growing the whole industry but as of now, we will take our first steps into growth through promotion,” said event organiser Nyasha Muswaka.
He added: “Patoranking has become a global brand and has established himself as one of the leaders in African music. Having him in the country will give local artistes an appreciation of what’s needed to build such a brand. We are also hoping that this becomes an opportunity for the country to be marketed through arts.
“To add onto that — Jah Prayzah has collaborated with Patoranking — this is an opportunity for locals to see these two on stage at the same time. It will help many artistes realise that nothing is impossible. Seeing them together on stage would be a spectacle for the audience.”
With questions being raised about the show being an overkill considering the number of stars that will share the stage at the HICC, Muswaka said their goal is to ensure that the paying audience gets value for their hard-earned money.
“In other places you can have Grammy award-winning artistes on one stage. Here we have multiple award-winning acts sharing the same platform. This is what the industry needs, value. People should just enjoy the show at the end of it all. That’s what is important to our brand. Professionalism, quality and challenging the normal way of thought,” he said.
Promoting local artistes is hard enough, but bringing in forex guzzling foreigners is even harder. Few survive the fall from such gambles, but Kayse Connect bosses are not intimidated. They have already unleashed advance tickets onto the market, and Muswaka claims they are “selling like hot cakes”.
They are available online on: www.clicknpay.africa.
