The creative and beyond….Nuanced as Jozi’s underground narrative has been over the past years, the one sole muscle it has constantly flexed albeit futility is a means of sustaining marketability or a long lasting financial framework at that. The lifespan of many a venture championed by many a movement have become statistical fodder to the far end of any trend analysis, this being the not so favourable end where income generation is concerned. The perpetual tome that artists haven’t got the slightest of clues as to how to manage money is condescending but it in most instances sticks!
In a city where gentrification is underdergoing an exponential surge, those at the helm of advancing culture should surely keep up if not be ahead of this here curve. Beyond the creative sphere lies the opportunity of monetary generation with that same creative ability that includes expansion of one’s cause and ultimately being able to live off what one does.
The irreverent brick wall to most of our ventures on this landscape has been fragmentation. The all too familiar occurrence of ideals failing to reach a consensus is an irksome one. The terrain is lush with all sorts of skills from animation, to PR, Journalism, Marketing, Videography, Fine Arts, Musicology, graphic design, Advertising, Clothing Management, Photography and all sorts of other creative pools for one to be immersed. With all of these interests one wonders why so little impact has been made, why haven’t the chosen ones inscribed their names in texts of financial revolutions?
Analogue breed in a digital world
The advent of social networking has proven to be an invaluable tool to most creatives in Jozi where their various ventures are concerned. But what deserves more attention is whether the phenomenon has been cleverly utilized in ways that best favour those very initiatives? Mostly no in that we still grappling with how our content can (should) be the conduit to earn the attention of those whom we are trying to target. Meaning an artist’s toil is of outmost value and may even be seen as currency.
The manner that the content cum currency is detailed and presented on Facebook, Twitter, Flicker etc. requires a savvy of how it will be received. Furthermore how it will grab attention at first glance and beyond that have long lasting impact. Content strategy hello!!
Fore-runners
Tru-jones
Tru-jones’ presence online is brash in nature but never compromises on the quality of work he displays as an On-air artist, commentator, music stylist and photographer. He has unearthed the secret to the allure of a celebrated figure without resorting to the crude. He has subjected his pool to a viral splurge of a lifestyle, the sort that his circle wouldn’t purse lips to but be engrossed in instead. His content is regularly updated, has a unique voice and has a tinge of slick to it…a wee bit of contemporary nouveau to it.
The Ethiofunkship- Mind Your Head
The seller to the collective’s campaign was its enigmatic allure in that it was meant to mobilize for a planned . Having had many followers, Mind Your Head resorted to dispensing cryptic message online that left a sense of wonderment for those discerning to fill the blanks. It in the process laid bare what it was possibly mutating into, which is a hub harbouring even more intriguing gems than what it used to at Delvers Close. The campaign was fused with aesthetics that are ‘quintessentially Mind Your Head’, predating the reunion their online presence was championed by a Djs Mix that evoked the spirit of the club and one that people could possibly look forward to on the night of the reunion.
Others who have made their content compelling include Brother Moves On, The Bessie Heads, Pilzy Lee (Back 2the City), Keleketla! (Nonwane) , Fananthi and Quaz.
The moral of this piece is that Jozi has ample content, one that is of amazing quality. With that knowledge monetizing content should be a priority. Creatives should channel their initiatives through media that best optimizes reach. Amid that sought tools that will best serve their cause…we gotta eat mayn!
