Reliving the January blues

December offers a lot of opportunities to artists in terms of staging events and subsequently increasing their earnings.

The December fortunes suddenly get dampened in January which is lean. After the New Year’s festivities on January 1, the wells dry up such that one can hardly hear of an artist staging an event.

In essence, it means the artists bank on their December income for survival. Such an outlook persists up to February, with just a slight opening on February 14, Valentine’s Day.

For most Malawian artists, their survival is from hand to mouth. Definitely, the going must be tough for them in this lean season. With the heightened economic hardships, how do artists cope? Do they have standing mechanisms to see them through?

Event promoters, artist managers, venue owners and artists themselves have agreed that it is never easy to navigate through this period. They seem to agree that no matter how much you save or plan, it is still tough to sail through.

Dancehall artist Saint gave a picture of how hard it is to survive only on their art. He said art, just like any other business, goes through dry periods.

“It is a game of subtraction and that’s the hard part. No matter how you plan, there are always some things that come along the way. There are emergencies and in the end, you spend what you thought you were saving for the lean period,” said the Lilongwe-based artist.

The Pillow creator said the inactivity is worsened by the rainy weather as they have to wait until March or April to start staging shows.  Saint said it is easier for those who have alternative sources of money.

He said: “It is even complicated because it is a new year and you need to bring in new content for your fans. That requires extra funds as you have to promote your new work too.”

Artist manager and event planner Wisdom Phanga said he is always cautious of the challenges that come with the period and he places value on saving.

“Summer is a busy period which is followed by the festive season. It is always difficult when an artist has not made enough during this time and had a poor return of royalties too. That situation makes things difficult,” he said.

Another artist manager Van Ngongo said it is very hard since most of the artists rely on shows for their survival. He said it requires a strong management team that can make it possible to find other ways of making money.

He said: “There are strategies such as putting the music on online stores. That gives one an opportunity to make money without performing. The spirit of saving needs to be encouraged. That is the only way to beat the challenges.”

Regular performing group Black Missionaries Band and Anthony Makondetsa are also in hibernation. Their manager Ras Ray Harawa said January and February forces them to slow down due to various factors.

“Obviously this is the rainy season and as such many people are busy and cannot patronise shows. Secondly, many are committed to other pressing issues that they hardly have disposable income for entertainment,” he said.

Harawa admitted that despite knowing the situation, it is never easy.

“We are affected economically because we perform and earn a little something every weekend. But some of our members are also farmers, so they take the lean period to concentrate on their farms,” he said.

Harawa also said the period is a time for band members to reflect on their artistic journey.

“As Ma Blacks we work very hard and at this time a break is needed to rest as well,” he said.

Commenting on the same, musician and producer Lulu said while he prepares for the lean season, he knows many musicians suffer because they lead a hand to mouth lifestyle.

“I am blessed because apart from performing, I am also a producer as I own a studio. Otherwise, it is hard honestly,” he said.

Lulu said the rainy season, among other things, renders most venues unusable.

“It is a difficult situation, no matter how one plans, there are always struggles here and there,” he said.

Music performances venue owner MacDonald Soko who runs Club 24/7 at Kameza Roundabout said January has always been a lean month.

“He said: “It is a month full of financial struggles on household level and within business set ups. This is a month that artists who depend generally on live performances also go through financial challenges since promoters are not willing to organise shows. Heavy rains make the situation worse. But the situation is slightly different from last year where we were able to hold a few shows in the months of January to March despite being a lean season.”

Soko said as venue owners, the unpredictability of the rains as experienced this year requires them to invest in indoor venues to enable them host shows throughout the year.