Where did the music go?

Dalubuhle Sibanda, Sunday Life Correspondent

After being challenged by talented local artiste MJ Sings to speak out on issues affecting artistes, specifically how a local radio station is charging them to play their music, I felt compelled to respond.

I feel this is just the tip of the bigger challenges artistes are facing, I instead ask the question: Where did the music go?

Local radio has gradually shifted away from its core purpose, declining while we have remained largely silent.

Artistes have had to play second fiddle as programming has morphed into talk shows and “mjolo hotlines”, overshadowing the music that once defined these platforms.

Every show feels like a talk radio segment filled with long podcasts like voice notes (from the same characters all day), endless discussions, and monotonous, long sponsored content preaching the same topics, while the musical programmes have slowly faded away almost to the point of extinction.

At its peak, local radio introduced us to outstanding artistes like Asaph, Mzistoz, Novuyo Seagirl, and Gda Fire.

The music drove listenership, created identity, and fostered a sense of relatability and flow.
From Msizkay’s anthems to Cal_vin’s raps, Qeqeshiwe’s melodies, and Fab G’s storytelling, local music was vibrant and diverse.

Yet, we have dropped artistes by the dozens, and it is heartbreaking. As radio has grown the very aspect that made it unique and fun has been left behind. Local Kombis and shops would have local stations blaring local radio all day, that trend has slowly died away and we need to ask ourselves WHY?

When was the last time we had a new artiste or a hit? Radio once created hits! Gda Fire’s Masphinde Futhi must be the biggest hit of the last decade rivalled by the likes of Msizkay’s iNkomo Zamalobolo, Novuyo Seagirl’s AEIOU, Madlela Skhobokhobo’s SamaMoe and Gregory’s “Uthando lwangempela but in recent years, we have been lacking major hits and failing to create new stars. The artistes have moved to the back seat of the space.

We never took note of the dynamics of Cal_vin’s beef with Skyz Metro FM or read the undertones of that long presser thrown at the Late Great. None took note of the serious red flags that emerged back then, that was the beginning of the end for artistes.

By letting that shadow ban on Vin’s music go unchallenged, the artistes lost their power to negotiate or be heard.

The artistes made radio and when radio made it they killed the music. It is a symbiotic relationship, one cannot thrive without the other. It is not too late to save both because if we do not we will definitely lose radio and the artiste an undesirable outcome.

The next red flag was ignored when presenters were allowed to compete unchecked with the same artistes they were supposed to support, inadvertently it created an undesirable outcome.

This dynamic sidelined the music and artistes while elevating a band of presenters who became more famous than the musicians themselves.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, they prioritise their own brands over the artistes they should be championing.

Inadvertently presenters are not in any way pressured to play any good new music, look for music, or connect with artistes and they have become the show and the shows about them.

You could be forgiven for thinking that the standard of music has fallen! But the reality is that we have forgotten the genesis and the void local radio once filled.

Go out to the suburbs with the roadshows, Kasi to Kasi talent shows or bars and you will hear fresh good sounds.

How that music is failing to be the heartbeat of radio beats me. Alarm bells should have been sounded back then when Qeqeshiwe’s Ubuyephi and Cal_vin’s Banjalo Abantu became kasi hits way before they reached the airwaves they dominated.

We moved from having no play on national stations and dealing with the “no quality” brigade to enjoying 24-hour access to purely local sounds to stifling them.

It is time to bring back the music and restore the balance. Let us remind ourselves of the vibrant sounds that once connected us and give our local talent the platform they deserve.

By achieving a better balance among the presenters, stations, and artistes, both listenership and advertising revenue are set to increase.