signing rights to the publisher,
things like that. Producers can
make money of that, they can
make money off radio play, but it’s
not the issue of just the producers.
It’s the whole industry itself that
needs to be changed,
infrastructures need to be put to
make it viable.
GM.: From a producer’s point of
view, what do you think about
the quality of Zimbabwean
music? What can be done to
improve our sounds?
Simba: For a while, I think that
we were the best in terms of
quality, even in terms of our
artists. But as times progressed, in
Southern Africa, we felt that we
were the best, but everyone is
progressing. We are now at a
point, in terms of mixing,
mastering, recording, if you are to
call that quality, we can hold our
own. I think that what we now
need to do is to specialize. Some
people can specialize in
producing, some can specialize in
mastering because what happens,
a person like me, I write my own
songs, I record my own songs, I
market my own songs, so it’s hard
for me to juggle all those things. I
can’t be a marketer and a producer
at the same time, I need to
specialize.
GM.: And what can be done to
improve our sounds?
Simba: Again, specializing! Let a
producer be a producer, an
engineer-an engineer, an artist, be
an artist, and that’s how an
industry becomes alive. And
76
infrastructure! It all starts from, I
need to know how many copies
am I going to sell, because if I’m
going to sell twenty, I’m not
going to waste my time hiring a
marketer, you only do that when
you know that you are selling
many and that’s when you say
that I’m getting a team together.
All that infrastructural element
and the starting point is the
music, who you want to buy the
music; where people are going to
buy the music.
GM.: Do you have other
ventures that you are into?
Simba: Currently no! But I do a
littl e bit of clothes designing. But
I put that in the back so that I
can concentrate on the music,
but maybe this year, we will see. I
will try to farm!
please support local music!
Upcoming artists who need
to be produced and
producers who would like
to collaborate with Simba
Tagz or Showtime Africa
you can get hold of him on:
Facebook: Simba Tagz
Twitter: @simbatagz
Email:
[email protected]
MUSIC begins in
this lab…
…into your
headphones
GM.: Where do you see
yourself in the near future?
Simba: I. guess the goal is to put
Zimbabwe on the map. We are
planning to shoot videos for song
that we think are good for the
industry to put Zimbabwe on the
map. I want people to like me
and to know me. In five years
from now I don’t know if I’ll still
be a producer but generally I will
be very involved in the music. I
want to be known in Africa,
hopefully, very popular, if not
popular, then well recognized.
GM.: Any words for fans out
there?
Simba: Watch out for Zimbabwe
, we are coming through and
Groove Magazine Zimbabwe
…from
the
microphone…
…to live
concerts…
… We make more
music…