How artists’ pay tallied for gigs
“When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” — Paulo Coelho
MBABANE –What is your worth?
:hat are promoters looking for when considering booking an artist and how do they gauge how to pay them"
,n the aftermath of C29,' 1 and a full year of not being able to attend gigs in a normal capacity, people are celebrating the return of events and being with other fans, so there has never been a better time to hone in on live performances, but what does one need to know"
7his publication had a chance to speak to local promoters to get more information on what goes into book ing and paying of a local artist, but first where does the money come from. 7he two primary ways bands and solo musicians make money from gigs are taking a cut from the ticket pre sales and taking a guaranteed fee. ,t is common to have one or the other agreed and whether you push for a cut of ticket sales or a guaranteed fee for playing will depend on the circumstances.
)or instance, if you are playing a gig in your hometown and can count on lots of local fans attending, it would be prudent to get a cut of ticket sales. ,f you are the headline artist, your cut should be high and reflect the fact that the vast maMority of people are coming to see you the venue will make plenty on bar sales .
Costs
,f you are playing in a town you have never played before in, and you are in the early stages of your career it might be wise to take a guaranteed fee, Must to make sure you at least cover all your costs. 7his is where things get tricky locally, where most headliners are foreign artists with a worldwide brand and are entitled to a way larger pay than the local acts and according to promoters and event organisers, here is why.
6olani’s 6hisanyama’s events man ager, commonly known as 'ope 'eep mentioned that the artist’s brand mattered a whole lot when it came to the money that they were paid when booked for a show at the establishment. ,n the same light the artist himself mentioned that even though artists are paid according to their brand, it is usually way less than they actually deserve.
³7he artist’s brand value vs the scale of the gig and how popular that artist is and how many people they’ll attract to the gig matters a whole lot. Also how massive the gig is, will the artist be a main attraction or a contributing act, also to cover travel costs and a performance fee, are all the facts to be considered, unfortunately we are still facing a huge challenge locally, artists are not paid according to what they truly deserve, promoters seem to pay at a rate they think the artist deserves, which in most cases will cater and cover costs for getting to the event, and there’s no profit at all. A huge concern for local artists which should really be looked into,´ said 'ope 'eep.
=ulu ', a '-, entrepreneur and pro moter also echoed similar Tualities in order for artists to be paid. +e said ³,t depends on what value that artist or '- brings to your event. 'oes he or she have followers who would actually come to support him her, because talent alone is not enough, especially from a promoter’s perspec tive and then it also depends on how much expenses it will costs the artist to perform at your show. 7his comes as a revelation as this publication once investigated artists pay, after a few artists had complained about being under paid especially compared to international acts. Business ,nsider 6A once released an article, where they mentioned that a top 6outh African musician earned anything between R10 000 and R 0 000 per performance. +owever, most artist enough expected to earn roughly R1 00 to R 000 per show, until their brands are big to be worth, big money. 7his is the one thing that the locals would fuss over, mentioning that they would generally get (1 00 or ( 000 at most, while international acts would receive over ( 0 000, great accommo dation and h o s p i t a l i t y. A huge chal lenge in the local indus try is the fact that it is not regulated, this was mentioned by another events organiser, 7ammy 'lamini also known as '- 7oxik '- 7oxik. ³Artists will charge or negotiate based on their celebrity status and how many events they have played at and how big they were. )or 2*’s in the industry, they charge a larger amount which is the same across because of the experi ence they have accumulated over the years. :hat also matters a whole lot is the set up, because a festival will pay more than a club hosted show,´ said '- 7oxik. 'lamini also mentioned that 6A artists have made a great name for themselves even travelling across the globe, solidify ing their brands. ,n 6A, a popular '- like Black Coffee, charges an average of R100, .00 per hour. 7his fee may be higher or lower depending on the event, location, and time of day. )or example, a wedding during peak hours on a 6aturday night may cost more than a corporate event during the day on a weekday. Black Coffee is one of the most in demand '-s in 6A. +e has a uniTue style that com bines 'eep +ouse, soulful vocals, and African influences. +is music has been described as µemotional, spiritual, and uplifting.’ Black Coffee has won numerous awards, including the Best ,nter national '- Award at the 01 'Awards. +e has also been nominated for a *rammy Award and a B(7 Award. ,f you’re looking for an un forgettable experience, Black Coffee is the '- for you. +is fees may be higher than some, but his music is worth every penny. +e’s one of the most well known and sought after '-s in the game right now, charging up to 86 00,000 per set, which eTuates to ( . 7he variations in income and stand ard of living between local artists and their 6outh African contemporaries can be attributed to the glaring struc tural, psychological, and behavioural differences between the two markets. 6WUXFWXUDOO\ 6A has an established arts economy, as all essential struc tures were put in place and are func tionally. 7hese include governance structures like the 'epartment of Arts and Culture, regulatory structures like the Re cording ,ndustry of 6outh Africa R,6A , royalties collection societies like the 6outhern Africa 0usic Royalties 2rganisation 6A0R2 , as well as a wide range of media platforms, at both national and community levels, that have content monitoring software used to generate statistics for ratings and royalties collection purposes. 7he deliberate political will at cen tral government level to treat the Arts as a formal sector whose contribution to the gross domestic product *'3 can be measured and recorded has enabled their industry to flourish. 3HUFHSWLRQ 3V\FKRORJLFDO 7he general small economy mind set usually leads to a subconscious ap preciate of everything that’s from a bigger economy than ours. 3eople tend to assume all products made in 6A are of a better Tuality than those made locally, yet ours are eTually good. 7his mind set then transcends to all other sectors including the arts. :e have seen promoters and corpo rates hiring 6A artists who charge an arm and a leg at the expense of our own artists due to what they perceive as better popularity for the former. 7his also speaks to the need of a regulatory framework for the arts so as to protect and advance local arts ahead of imported arts. ,f we perceive or label ourselves as inferior we will become inferior. A mind set shift, therefore, has to prevail so as to establish and develop the arts economy of (swatini. %HKDYLRXUDO 2ur artists’ own behaviours and lack of arts business skills and knowledge poses a chal lenge to the arts economy of (swatini. 1otwithstanding the lack of structural support, our artists need to stop treat ing their work as a µhustle’ side Mobs . 7hey need to formally register their labels as companies, they need to manage their social media personae, and they need to decline being short changed by promoters or companies who negotiate down their Tuotes among many other things. Arts as sociations like 6:A0A, together with the mother body (1CAC, should conduct fo cused trainings establish arts tours and ex change pro grammes and establish an Arts )und that will assist art ists to access arts business loans.Investigated
Nominated
Establish