Marketing A Stumbling Block:Local Artist
By Ronnie Chisamba
A musician based in the resort town of Kariba strongly believes that the major stumbling block for upcoming musicians and artists in general in Zimbabwe is the unavailability of relevant access to meaningful marketing.
Born in Karoi,Last Chitambo(46) – aka Chitambo – has released 4 albums and 6 singles since the launch of his professional music career.A household name in Kariba,his current town of residency, Chitambo has not achieved much success with regards to gaining recognition on the national music arena, despite investing time,effort and financial input in this endeavor.
Apart from being a musician, Chitambo is an educationist by profession.He had this to say about his stage name, Chitambo:”ln our Shona culture the surname is very important in connecting relatives.So l could not use any other rather than my surname.”
Inspired by the late Oliver Mutukudzi and Thomas Mapfumo, Chitambo pointed out that limited access to marketing was a chief hindrance in his bloom as a professional musician.”Funds for marketing and video production,hiring a PA system for live performances, transport to and from live shows are some of the challenges lam facing as a musician and l believe most musician in Zimbabwe would say the same.But,the biggest stumbling block for me is access to meaningful and relevant national marketing platforms,”he lamented.
