Malawian music to the world

A window of opportunity is beckoning Malawian musicians following a deal struck by local music promotion label Pamudzi Soundscape with international promoters.

Pamudzi Soundscape has gone into a working partnership with global agencies such as Shamiso Music and Entertainment, Thad Baron and 2Hype Entertainment, Christian Tattersfield and Mark Ashelford.

Locally, the music stable is working in collaboration with the Department of Culture under the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture as well as the Copyright Society of Malawi (Cosoma).

Pamudzi Soundscape director seasoned music producer Tapps Bandawe said the deal will open doors for Malawian music and musicians to over 250 global digital stores and streaming services such as Spotify, iTunes and Amazon.

He said the deal will ensure that Malawian music appears in Hollywood movies, documentaries, Netflix series and adverts worldwide where Malawian musicians will be paid at the same rate as other international artists.

In an interview yesterday, Bandawe said among others, Malawian artists will now monetise their presence on platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and other digital platforms.

He said: “We have a deal that will change the way all Malawian music is received internationally.  We have been working towards this deal for a period of at least a year. What we wanted is to achieve a 360 experience.

“When someone comes under our fold, they will get digital distribution that ensures their music is available on every single digital platform worldwide. As you know each digital platform specialises on something different and each one is popular in a different area.”

Bandawe said the deal will focus on a number of elements such as promotion of content to ensure music is played on different international outlets, participating in global festivals and licensing of the artists’ content.

“We have collaborated with three of the best promoters in the world when it comes to getting Afro music in the mainstream. We have global festivals that cater for modern African music and classic African music. Our artists will have access to those festivals throughout the year,” he said.

The producer said the focus of their venture is to promote music which has Malawian elements such as hip hop or amapiano. He said they will conduct several initiatives to orient producers on what constitutes Malawian music.

Bandawe said: “We don’t want to promote imitators of international music. We are also working with a number of embassies in Malawi who will be supporting our Malawian artists by linking us with people in the entertainment area.

“We are looking at artists who have the talent but have also taken the initiative to use the digital space and generate a considerable following. We can’t say that we are looking for a big star but a diverse range because with this particular vision someone can go from zero to 100 quickly.”

In a separate interview, one of the local musicians Lulu said though Malawian music faces a challenge to make it on the international market, he is optimistic that things will change.

Lulu said: “We lack support from home out there. We are quick to adopt things which are foreign but we fail to initiate the export of our own music. The initiative by Tapps looks interesting because he seems to know what the local music industry lacks.”