Eastern Cape record boss pushes municipalities to support local artists

Eastern Cape musicians will no longer be potential victims of exploitation by record labels outside the province, thanks to a collaboration between a local record label and a district municipality. Local musicians have in the past cried foul about what they term “exploitation” by big record labels taking advantage of their desperation and limited knowledge of the music business. To alleviate the issue, KuGompo City-based businessman Mlindelwa “Man B” Tyekana, who owns Man B Music Entertainment, has entered into an agreement with the Chris Hani District Municipality to run a talent search programme.

The programme, which kicked off in Komani last week, aims to enable talented Eastern Cape artists to record and distribute their music without having to relocate to Johannesburg. “We’re giving young people a chance in the music industry so they can realise their talent. We’ve seen how Eastern Cape musicians have died poor despite spending many years making hits in Johannesburg,” said Tyekana.

The programme has already identified five musicians during its first installment, held recently at the Komani Indoor Centre. Tyekana said the deal with the municipality included paying for studio time for recording artists across various genres. “Music is very expensive, and if an artist only has to worry about recording, that’s half the battle won.” Because of the remoteness of areas where talented musicians are often based, Tyekana said it made sense for them to go to the artists rather than inviting them to KuGompo City.

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“We’re hoping to sign agreements with other municipalities across the province. We’ll go to almost all the smaller towns and stage these talent searches and engage local municipalities to fund the recordings,” said Tyekana, whose stable already houses more than 50 artists. This includes his 12-year-old daughter, hit sensation Jessie Isilokazi.

Music lovers who have seen video clips and pictures of the initiative say it could go a long way toward making the Eastern Cape a musical hub, where artists can enjoy stardom from their home province. Click here to join the Daily Dispatch’s WhatsApp channel and get the latest news delivered straight to your phone

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