Swangz CEO Julius Kyazze says while concerts can be profitable, they also carry a risk of significant financial loss. He says while some artistes prioritise earning revenue from shows, others may focus on gaining visibility. PHOTO | ISAAC
SSEJJOMBWE
Karole Kasita has been in the music industry for eight years but she held her first concert at UMA Showgrounds Lugogo last year. Musically, the Yaka singer is a star, but despite the popularity of her music, her show did not sell out. She, however, said there were no regrets as the concert broke even and the main reason for the concert was that she had had a good year.
“I decided to give my fans a concert only because that year had been very good and my fans and I needed a celebration,” Karole Kasita, real name Carol Kasita, said.
She added that she wanted to push her brand to another level and wanted to attach her brand to other brands in the form of broadcast sponsorship.
“A concert is like giving birth, everybody has to go through it,” the singer said in regards to whether the concert was necessary for her career.
Concerts need time
Musician Alexander Bagonza, alias A Pass, believes concerts are good for an artiste for financial purposes and building a legacy but he cautions artistes to have stage concerts at the right time.
“You have to be careful with what you are jumping into. Are you prepared for it?As artistes we tend to take music as a joke. It is necessary to have a concert but more necessary to prepare for it,” he says.
Asked whether this is the reason he has not staged a concert yet despite being in the music industry for 10 years, Bagonza said he had lined up other things before the concert.
“I have been on big stages, done crazy performances but my concert has not happened yet but it will happen soon. I wanted to drop my third album before I do any concert. I wanted to have a crazy catalogue. I feel an artiste needs to have enough music to guarantee themselves or give themselves that icing on the top, which in this case is a concert. This is better than doing a concert because you have a viral song . I believe in having classic concerts ,” he said.
Despite that, the Gamululu artiste is still preparing himself for the big moment of his career.
“I am working with friends such as Tonya and Ahanda who are vocal trainers and definitely will be working with other people to get myself ready for the concert,” he says.
According to Julius Kyazze, the CEO of Swangz Avenue, a concert is important for every artiste but it is all about timing and what the artiste aims to achieve.
He gives an example of Swangz Avenue artistes Winnie Nwagi and Azawi, whom he says are great examples to illustrate these points. The two, he says, have distinct objectives, timings, and opportunities, showing that many variables come into play.
“The right time varies for every artiste, depending on their individual objectives and career aspirations. While concerts can be profitable, they also carry a risk of significant financial loss. Some artistes prioritise earning revenue from shows, while others may focus on gaining visibility. The timing is unique for each artiste,” says Kyazze.
With concerts involving costs such as production, marketing, support talent fees, security and ground Logistics among others, Kyazze calls upon artistes to be clear about their goals and determine if they have the necessary resources or the right partners to make their vision a reality.
“They should also understand market dynamics; Is there enough demand, or can they create the demand needed to attract sponsors and fans to cover their costs? For brands or sponsors, artistes must assess if they have valuable offerings to present,” Kyazze said.
Concerts should not be annual
We have witnessed artistes who have held concerts annually but veteran songstress Juliana Kanyomozi disapproves of this, saying concerts need to be spaced because they are special events in someone’s career.
Carol Kasita
“It is an experience that will live in the memories of people and so you cannot recreate that every 12 months later. You want to hold off a little bit, let them miss you, and then come back and do another concert. Special events happen once in a while because then you will be able to create lasting memories,” Juliana said.
The Woman singer adds that concerts are an opportunity for an artiste to get up-close and personal with their fans, touch base with them, and connect in a small environment as opposed to when they listen to you on radio and YouTube.
Besides that, she also says it is an opportunity for an artiste to taste the waters to see how strong they are in the market, and how they are doing because a concert is akin to cooking food in the kitchen and finally serving it to your people.
Juliana, however, says a concert should depend on someone’s weight in terms of the catalogue and brand.
“It has to make business sense before you decide to hold another concert. It means you need to talk to professionals and get a clear picture of how it looks like before you jump in,” she says.
Asked how an artiste should redeem themselves when they register a flop, Juliana says artistes should not look at it as a failure but rather an experience.
“I think flopping for me is a relative word. Here is how I look at it: If I was asked this question in 2022 when I did my concert, I would say even if I get 15 people and those are the loyal Juliana fans, I would not consider it as a flop. It might be a flop in terms of business but as an artiste, you have to be ready for anything. Sometimes it will flop for many different reasons. It would help if you had a positive attitude. You need to go back to the drawing board if it does not work. You should not look at it as a failure but as a chance for you to look into yourself and find out why it flopped and how to correct it next time,” Juliana says.
Concerts this year
Ever since the year began, we have seen concerts from artistes such as Blu*3, Ray G, Ronald Mayinja, Feffe Bussi and Young Mulo, while many including Iryn Namubiru, Gravity Omutujju, Mickie Wine, Haruna Mubiru, Weasel, Chameleone, Khalifa Aganaga, Acidic Vokoz and Big Eye among others have also shown interest in having concerts this year.
Last year, we saw concerts from artistes such as Aziz Azion, Azawi, Kenneth Mugabi, Navio, Spice Diana, King Saha, Pallaso, Karole Kasita, Alien Skin, and Jose Chameleone, among others.
Concert checklist
1. Formal letter requesting to hold the event.
2. Notify police and attach a police letter authenticating and clearing the venue rendering it suitable to hold an event, and ensuring police at the venue.
3. Clearance from venue owners permitting the client to hold the event plus receipt of payment.
4. Fire control strategy; fire extinguishers, fire safety blankets, fire exists.
5. Human traffic control; entry and exit points, ring fencing of public access points, emergency assembly points.
6. First aid arrangement, ensure there are first aid facilities.
7. Places of convenience, toilets with clear demarcation of male and female usage convenient enough even for infants and people with disability.
8. Waste management; that is to say, litter bins.
9. Noise management; noise levels should be kept at 60 decibels.
10. Power utilisation, and provision for interior and exterior lighting.
11. Water availability and utilisation; ensure that water availability and utilisation is guaranteed.
12. Food vending, ensure that there are licensed and certified food vendors for the duration of the event.
13. Apply for the event 14 working days before the event date.
