Lack of corporate sponsorship crippling art
Recently, a debate ensued on the corporate partnership struck between National Bank of Malawi plc and Epic Lounge Lifestyle when they hosted a concert featuring Nigeria’s super star Kizz Daniel. The K40 million deal sent tongues wagging with some quarters ruing lack of similar support when the events are local. Our Staff Reporter BRIAN ITAI caught up with artist manager and event organiser Wisdom Phanga who shared his thoughts on the issue. Excerpts.
Q
: How did you find yourself in artist management?
A
: I started around 2011 in Ndefeyo Entertainment where I worked with a number of artists who are well established now individually. Hyphen, Onesimus, Trumel and Bucci. I later parted ways with the label and started managing Piksy in 2015 on a personal deal. I am now grooming two other artist managers.
Q
: What does artist management entail?
A
: To me, managing an artist is way broader than just managing art. It goes from making sure the artist is in good shape, private life and financially well so they do not really have problems that are avoidable to let the artist always be in a creative form. You have to know your responsibility as an artist manager to make sure the brand in the artist’s name survives.
Q
: How crucial is the role of a manager in an artist’s career?
A
: It is very crucial, but the artist’s attitude may make it easy or hard and even impossible. When the artist’s attitude is good, work becomes easy and fun.
Q
: There is an issue of corporate assistance in arts. What is expected from the manager to make sure that artists benefit from such deals?
A
: A manager should make sure the artist has a good cut from deals that motivates them to do a good job for clients. The motivation gets transferred to the results delivered which makes the client satisfied and believe that they made a good choice by picking them.
Q
: How has lack of corporate sponsorship affected the growth of art in Malawi?
A
: It is really bad. We need to start exporting art. Music is one huge art that when exported can generate forex. For art to be exported we need international standard delivery from recording studios to videos and high budgets promotional budget. Artists alone cannot manage and they need corporate support to do this. If we have a good corporate support, we are guaranteed of a well investment in our materials that will mean an easy access to international breakthrough.
Q
: Do you see any preferences between local and international artists when it comes to corporates providing support for events?
A
: Corporates prefer to promote international artists of course as compared to local. The recent sponsorship deals we have seen this year are a clear evidence. We had Piksy album launches three of them and we approached them no one came to sponsor, but events supported by international artists are always having good sponsorships. When the corporate support big events with huge amounts of money, local artists still do not benefit as they are paid way less than regular local events.
Q
: From your end, do you provide convincing proposals to earn such partnerships?
A
: We do. Even the proposals that attract them to sponsor international artists are written by local Malawians so it’s just the preference they have.n
