The love for local artists stems from the artists themselves

From event organisers’ favouritism of friends and the bad-mouthing of other up-and-coming talents that seem to challenge the already dimmed spotlight.
In an interview I had myself with one of your journalists, I highlighted that as local artists there is still much to do regarding us working together and supporting one another to build and develop a sustainable entertainment and arts industry that can support its participating artists.
We have to celebrate ourselves in mutual support and unison for the masses to see that there are many talented locals that deserve to be elevated to be local celebrities.
One picture that comes to mind is the manner in which Bushbuckridge is starting to develop and strengthen the platform for their local rap and hip-hop artists.

The local artists go to one another’s events and support one another’s initiatives, thus making it even easier for the general public to participate in the move to support them because they themselves as artists and event organisers, as well as promoters are seen to be supporting one another and working cohesively.
There’s a symbiotic exchange. A quality product exchanged for the favour of fans and event organisers.

Movements like “Luv Ur Hood Hip Hop” that resulted in the showcase of the local hip-hop scene in the Hype, a hip-hop magazine is a small example of that.

As well as the level and kind of interaction they display as local artists from that part of the Lowveld on social media sites like Facebook is astounding.
They have clearly developed the affinity
to support one another.
A paradox to the above is our local township, KaNyamazane.

The level of interaction seen in the media and on the social scenes, as well as social media site is slim to none. I have also had the privilege to also be a part of a collective group of artists that had mandated themselves to develop the local “artscape” and bring local talent to the fore.

But, what baffled me was the reluctance to work with what is considered the competition. Hence, there are a few locals who can put names to faces with regard to the underground artists in their local communities.

Then there are our local event organisers and the lack of promoters that have the interests of local lads and lasses at heart, they too vie for the greater industry names.

Your Sdunkeros and Native Squads are chosen over others who may also deserve a fighting chance, but do not have the necessary network clout to manoeuvre themselves into such positions.

Then there are promoters who exploit our local artists for no remuneration and/or exposure. An example that comes to mind is last year’s insert of Mbombela Music Festival. A local group called Ark Fam was honoured with the privilege to open the show for names like Toya Da Lazy, TKZee and Kuli Chana, but they had to perform to practically nobody as the scores of fans that the national heavyweights pull, preferred to arrive at a later stage when they would be performing.
The Annual Nelspruit Sixties event could also do with the inclusion of more local artists in their event rosters.
Artists/talents themselves are also to blame.

They do not interact with one another enough. They do not market themselves and as a result do not take the kind of risks that will lead to it paying off.

We had the fortune of hosting the Metro FM Music Awards for a period of two years.

Within that period how many artists saw the opportunity to mirror their development plans with that of the annual staging of the awards in the city, like the Durban local art and entertainment landscape, to get themselves to a par that is acknowledgeable and worthy of recognition at a national level?

Talents, promoters, artists managers and event organisers let’s pull our socks up and dig our heels deep into the ground, work through the dirt and grime, work together, cohesively for mutual benefit and for the development of a sustainable music and arts industry that can support all participating artists. If we work together we can achieve that and much more.