KENYA MUSIC

Traditionally, Kenya music centered on drumming and dance, often accompanied by humming, chatting and singing. Apart from the drums, other musical instruments include variations on flute, lyres and guitars, which may be seen in the National Museums of Kenya among their ethnic exhibits.
Since then, Kenya music has evolved through early Afro-jazz to African hip-hop, rap and dance music. Recent years have seen an increase in FM radio stations throughout urban Kenya, and now Kenyan artists are at the forefront of the Kenyan music scene. Mr Googz and Vinnie Banton had a runaway hit, Wazee, about life in a Nairobi suburb, which scooped a nomination at the South African Kora Awards (the African equivalent to the Grammy awards) in 2002 for the most promising new talent in Africa.
The formation of a loose alliance of Kenyan Hip Hop artists as Ogopa DJs created a nonstop hit factory that sent tune after tune to the top of the Kenyan charts. By 2002, formerly idolized Western artists were wiped out of radio airplay by Kenyans such as Nameless - who had a huge hit with Ninanoki and went on to record the best-selling album "On Fire".
His collaboration with a young artist E-Sir was a track called Boomba Train, which also dominated dancefloors and clubs across the country. E-Sirs career was tragically cut short by a road accident in 2003.
Redsan, a singer as well known for his looks as his music has kept Kenya's female population enthralled with hits such as Julie and Raha - a track whose hip hop overtones are underscored with coastal taarab sounds.
As the current trend for fusion of world and western styles grows, many Kenyan artists are exploring this new realm of musical possibility. One of the most popular up and coming artists is Mercy Myra who combines traditional and modern, African and Western styles.
Reggae has also become popular, with blends of Afro-reggae and rap. One of the better-known Kenyan Reggae artists is Nazizi the female vocalist from rap group Necessary Noize also known for her solo reggae work.
Alongside, traditional music is still important. The Kayamba Africa group and Suzanne Owiyo were both nominated for Kora awards in 2002.
The arrival of better and more easily accessible instrumentation and recording facilities is continuing to strengthen and diversify the Kenyan music scene.
As music in Kenya continues to grow and evolve, and opportunities for young talented Kenyans increase, the future sounds great.
For such a small country, the great diversity of musical styles and language interests in Kenya has created an extremely fragmented recording and performance market.

CHANGE!

The thing I know about Kenyan showbiz is that its full of hype and not many artists really live the life/lives they portray.I know a few who had nothing and now they are making money from the industry out of their own hard work.And I know many who have worked so hard and still not getting paid as they should.Even after writing good lyrics and gathering a number of fans,some artists only have a name but back at home still living with their parents since they still cant afford to live by themselves.
    The cost of music production is very high and not many artists can afford to record a song and make a video for it without feeling the pinch.kshs5000 is about the least amount charged just to record one song.And maybe kshs30,000 to make a video for the same song which brings it to a total of kshs35,000.That looks like a simple figure but not many can afford to raise such an amount.Now what about this guy who wants to do an album of ten songs?He/she has to figure out how to raise kshs350,000!

Now the "Elites"in showbiz have started charging shs100,000 for a single music video!I think its sad to the up and coming artists who really hope to enter a studio booth and record some music.

 

Kenya: Production Costs Hamper Local TV Shows

The high cost of producing local television programmes is threatening the growth of the creative industry.
Though the number of locally produced programmes has risen to more than 20 in the last two years, industry players say the positive run may grind to a halt as broadcasters - who foot most of the production bills - seek to curb the ballooning expenditure as competition for advertising income intensifies.

Producing one episode of a local programme costs anything from Sh300,000 and Sh1 million compared to the cost of airing one episode of a programme bought in the international markets, which ranges between Sh24,000 and Sh80,000.
Mrs Kezzy Omoni-Kimani, the programmes manager at NTV, says that as a result of the high costs of local programmes, the television landscape will lean more towards programmes made in other African markets to satisfy viewers' demand for relevant programmes.
"There will be more local content, but not necessarily Kenyan," she said.
The recent upsurge in locally produced programmes is also facing a threat from audience disapproval, which is being attributed to low production budgets that is affecting the quality of the programmes.

"Right now, because local programmes are still a new phenomenon, viewers are not very discerning. But they will soon start questioning the sound and picture quality as their sophistication rises. The major problem is that there are few investors in local programmes, leaving broadcasters and production houses to work with thin budgets," said Ms Maya Rajput, the operations manager at Take4 Studios.
The thin budgets, analysts say, does not offer much headroom for picking the best shooting sites, cast, costumes, and technical teams.

They add that ideally, programmes should be funded by sponsors who pay production houses, meet the cost of materials used, and sell the programmes to broadcasters.
Given their financial muscle, Kenya's blue chip companies are seen as potential sponsors who can fund programmes as an alternative marketing strategy.
For now, most of the programmes are supported by broadcasters who commit up to 80 per cent of the production cost, with production firms contributing the remainder.
"If sponsors can come forward and commit Sh1 million per week on a production, the quality will really go up and help deepen the local content market," Rajput said.

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Players in the creative industry have expressed hopes that the migration to digital TV will see the entry of more players on the broadcasting scene, adding impetus to the demand for local content seen in recent years.
As digital broadcasting levels the playing field by eliminating the need for huge capital expenditure in studio equipment and transmission stations, more broadcasters are set to enter the field, expanding the market for local actors and producers.
With broadcasters outsourcing the responsibility of signal transmission to a third party, competition among players in the industry is expected to shift to provision of the highest-rated shows, which will in turn escalate demand for locally produced programmes.
The government's push for TV stations to air at least 40 per cent local programmes in a day, as part of new broadcast regulations, is also propping up the creative industry.

A Taxing Music Copyright Society of Kenya!

Back in the day, I chose my Kenyan matatu by its paint job and musical selection - the more wild and African the better. But today the matatus of Nairobi are quiet, their proud African voices silenced by a music tax.
The Music Copyright Society of Kenya has put a tax on the sounds of Africa by requiring that matatus pay Sh2,000 ($27) or more to MCSK in royalties to play music in their share-ride vans. Now that may not sound like much money, but it’s the concept that strikes me (and a few matatu drivers) as crooked.
Matatus, taxis, and other commercial passenger vehicles usually play the radio or CD's. With the radio, it's the broadcasters that should have already paid royalties. With CD's and tapes, how can the MCSK make such a blanket tax without knowing if the music was legally bought or even made by the musicians they represent? Its not like MCSK is passing on the royalties to Bob Marley or any other Western artist. Its not even paying it own members all that much.
MCSK is making money from Kenyans. By going after everyone from radio broadcasters and concert promoters, to bars and restaurants, down to hotels and cyber cafes MCSK is pulling in over Sh60 million (almost $1 million) a year. Yet its paying its 1,300 musician members a base Sh6,000 ($8) per year, with the highest payment only Sh 300,000 ($4,000).
You can do the math to see that MCSK's royalty income far exceeds its payments. Where might this money be going? Trainings in 2005 sure do not impress. I wonder if the staff salaries would?

KENYAN ARTISTS YET TO EMBRACE NEW TECHNOLOGY.

Nairobi — The modern world of entertainment has embraced all aspects of new technology. Those who have have earned handsome rewards. Sadly, Kenyan entertainers are just beginning to realise that the world has changed and they either have to adapt or perish.
The lack of Kenyan music on the international scene has been blamed on entertainers' reluctance to sell their music online. It is the easiest and least expensive way to market music, according to Information permanent secretary Bitange Ndemo. And selling music online was one of the recommendations of the Sixth National Symposium on Kenyan Music held in Mombasa a week ago.
Through this, they would gain the elusive international exposure that so many crave but get very little of. It will also mean they will earn more money without even leaving the country since the global online market is huge, according to Dr Ndemo. He said there was an urgent need for a website to sell Kenyan music, to be coordinated by the Music Copyright Society of Kenya for easy distribution of royalties. "The internet is a gold mine for artistes and they should take advantage of it," said Dr Ndemo.
Cassettes and CDs are difficult to promote internationally and the internet will easily solve this.

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