MUSICIANS DECRY THE CLOSURE OF MUSICA STORES
THE SA music industry has reacted with shock to the closure of Musica music outlets around the country at the end of May.
Clicks Group, the owners of Musica since 1992, announced yesterday that the biggest music, movies and games sellers in SA was shutting down its door, citing the digital era and low sales.
The group further stated that the 59 remaining shops in the country will be closed in May, while 19 stores closed at the start of the 2021 financial year.
The local entertainment industry said the closure of Musica shops would hit the industry hard since some music consumers still believed in buying physical copies.
As much as the closure will affect the industry in general, African traditional music (maskandi, mbaqanga and mgqashiyo) and gospel music will suffer the most.
Multi-instrumentalist jazz musician and producer Pops Mohamed, who also partly distributed his music through Musica, described the closure as a blow to the industry.
“This is going to affect a lot of people, especially the black population. Its closure is going to close a lot of doors because distribution companies will also suffer. It is like a slap in our faces and we don’t know the reasons . . . but we know that the buying of music has shrunk because people are unemployed.”
Gospel diva Debra Fraser said: “The closure of Musica is going to hugely affect us as gospel artists because of the kind of following we have. But it also teaches us to look at other ways like going to churches and markets to sell our music.”
One of the maskandi rising stars, Khunzani Mpungose, said: “The closure of Musica shops will affect our genre big time. As much as many people can buy music digitally, a big number still believe in physical copies. This is forcing us to go fully into digital downloads.”
Gospel star Bethusile Mcinga reacted by saying: “With more people moving towards the digital route there is still a margin of people who are not so digitally inclined, like gospel fans. Those are people who still believe in buying a physical copy. In this regard distributing music digitally can be seen as cost-effective and more efficient. As sad as it is, times evolve and so should we.”
Clicks Group said in a statement: “The remaining stores will be closed as leases expire over the next four months when the majority of leases terminate. Musica has been operating in a declining market for several years owing to the structural shift globally to the digital consumption of music, movies and games from the traditional physical format.
“The inevitable demise of the brand has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic which resulted in the rapid decline in foot traffic in destinations malls where Musica stores are typically located. In the stores which have been closed since September 2020, the Musica staff has been absorbed into the group’s expanding health and beauty stores network. Management is committed to accommodating the remaining staff within the group where this is operationally feasible.”
SA Music Industry Council (SAMIC) president China Mpololo said: “Everything is about digital era, and it is something that we have to accept because the world is going that direction.
“The problem is that majority of artists still believe in CDs and anything that has to do with digital needs money to buy data.
“I assume that it was a business decision taken by Clicks Group but it has made us uncomfortable.”