The Zambia Association for Musicians – ZAM has emphasized the urgent need for government to focus on the issue of monetization within the music industry.
Speaking exclusively to the Zambian Business Times ZBT, ZAM President Davison Munsanda highlighted the importance of monetizing digital platforms for Zambian artists, enabling them to generate revenue through music streams and online sales.
Emphasizing the need for Zambia to be on par with international standards in terms of monetization, Musanda stressed the potential for significant financial gains for artists and the industry as a whole.
Meanwhile, ZAM has expressed gratification with the government’s attention to their concerns regarding foreign artist fees and promoter license fees.
Furthermore, the President underscored the significance of fair and equitable treatment for Zambian artists, particularly in relation to foreign artists performing in the country. He called for a review of the fees associated with international artists’ performances and urged the government to ensure that such fees benefit the local music industry.
In addition to addressing financial concerns, the President emphasized the need for government investment in the arts, including support for music promotion, cultural exchange, and event organization.
He urged the government to implement policies and provide financial support to promoters, creating a conducive environment for the growth and sustainability of the music industry.
Musanda emphasized the importance of educating the public about the value of live music shows and the need to adjust ticket prices to reflect the quality and value of the performances.
He called for a comprehensive approach that aligns fee revisions with broader support structures to enhance infrastructure and promote the development of the arts sector.
“The biggest side from our sector they should focus on is monetization, we want to monetize all digital platforms we want our Artists to be able to generate revenue via streams ,we want Zambia to be on the same Grid like any other country in terms of monetization online, because then, with that we would be making a lot of money and generating a lot of money via sales of music and then as we do events , you see artists do not need to do events every day they need to do properly managed events in given spaces that means we’ll have events of value.” He explained
Musanda further explained to ZBT that Zambians need to know the value of shows they go to, needs to be elevated.
“If they were paying K50 for a show they need to understand why an artist now deserves to be watched by fellow Zambians by paying 300 to K2000 as this is the level that artists have reached but we are not moving at the same time.” He said
Munsanda further stated that they hope that the revising of the fees should speak to many other support structures that will be able to bring out implementation in terms of infrastructure and structures in the places of art.
