Story: Rahamatu-Lahi Zakaria || Sanatu Zambang Newsroom
Music is the food for the soul. We all relate to music in different ways and the young generation is embracing it like never before.
Music before the advent of advance technology, has always been controlled by group of people who think more of their interest than the interest of the artiste or the growth of the industry.
Power has shifted from the hands of a few people and given it to artistes themselves. It is no longer about ‘’industry players’’ but rather ‘’fans’’. These days, artiste can seat in the comfort of their homes and produce songs as well as do the distribution right there without having to kiss the ass of any ‘’industry player’’.
To discuss the impact of technology in the northern music industry, Sanatu Zambang brought in Onenira and Gafache Payment who are all going through similar changes in their respective careers in the music industry.
When asked how the industry is embracing technology, this is what Gafache payment had to say ” It is not the industry players that have accepted it.
It is the fans. Now they are well informed and they would not take any bulls**t from anyone”. OneNira on the other hand says that, with technology on the rise, artiste now have the freedom to be creative and not depend on some few people to bring their works out.
”if you wouldn’t produce a song that will fit into their tempo, they would not play it. It was really affecting the creativity of the industry. Everything was focus on some few people. If they don’t play play your songs, then you were nothing.”
But now with technology, he says it is given people like him and other upcoming artiste the chance to be heard by fans all over the world thanks to the streaming services that fans use.
” these other promotional things came a lot of DJs are suffering in terms of getting people. There is now podcasting, there is audio mark, there is writing”.
These options he says is given them the power to control the game now unlike first. The issues of industry players blackmailing artistes also came up in the discussion.
Gafach Payment narrates how some industry players will use them for their shows but will not pay saying they are putting them on a big platform hence they are promoting them.
When you the artiste try to demand to be paid for your hard work, they term you as greedy and money conscious. These industry players start a smear campaign against you on their respective radios show to turn the fans against you.