Increased downloads for Gwangwa’s music
DAYS after his death was announced, jazz icon Jonas Gwangwa’s music has seen an increase in online downloads.
Gwangwa’s Flowers of the Nation album that was released in January 1990 is on the Itunes chart list of top 100 most popular and best selling albums in South African charts.
The album is sitting at number two while Sounds from Exile is at number five, showing that it was getting attention from music lovers.
Music industry expert and promoter China Mpololo explained that it was in the nature of the music business that when a legend dies music lovers start collecting their music. Mpololo said it was not a new thing, the same happened to stars like Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, Hugh Masekela and Lucky Dube when they died.
Mpololo said: “When a great artist dies music lovers only realise then that they will never see that artist performing live again or releasing new music. They begin to collect his or her music just to remind themselves of the artist. I personally have been playing his music since he passed on. The other thing that causes this is that many radio stations are not playing Bra Jonas’s music to honour him. This increase the interest from listeners, some of whom are coming across his music for the first time. Those who don’t have it will start looking for it.”
Mpololo said he found it frustrating that many music legends were only played when they were dead. He said the way in which the television and radio industry was structured needed to change.
“When Bra Jonas, Sis Letta Mbulu and Bra Caiphus (Semenya) came back to the country, they were not getting any gigs locally until Lindelani Mkhize stepped in, reviving their careers. Mkhize marketed their music, making it fashionable. Promoters like us started booking them and that is how people came to know about them.”
Music producer and one of the greatest talent scouters, Tshepo Nzimande, blamed everything on the radio and television industry for not playing all artists’ music.
“There is this sad culture that when you die you are suddenly a legend. Even radio and TV stations that never played (their) music suddenly plays it. Bra Jonas’s music is doing well because he is getting a platform that he never got while still alive. It happened with Lundi (Tyamara) when he died. I was called for an interview at a station that never interviewed him while he was still alive.”