Zakes Bantwini pushes for more African ownership in music
Grammy winner Zakes Bantwini says African music's global success must come with African ownership of the businesses behind it, and he has shows lined up this summer.
Zakes Bantwini says the next stage for African music is about who owns the business, not only who makes the hits. The Grammy-winning musician and producer shared his thinking in a press interview, according to IOL.
Why he went to Harvard
Bantwini took a place on an entertainment, media and sports programme at Harvard Business School to grow his company, Mayonie Productions, beyond South Africa. He says he makes decisions by weighing probabilities, and reasoned that a global company needs a founder who mixes with people from global business.
He says the company’s international plans used to be a dream without a route. “Now there’s a mapping,” he said. Asked what kind of company he would want to build, he named Roc Nation.
Exporting music versus owning the business
Bantwini’s main worry is that African artists fill international stages while the money-making structures sit elsewhere. He recalled a performance in Portugal where backstage conversations were in isiZulu and Sesotho, yet the promoter that booked the artists was British and no South African held equity in it.
He argues that if local people do not own such businesses, long-term earnings will keep going abroad.
He also says the local industry lacks managers, lawyers and publicists, because most young people want to be performers. He is working with Wits Business School on a programme in executive talent representation, which he says is aimed at people who will represent artists rather than at artists themselves.
On record deals, Bantwini says Mayonie offers licensing terms that pay artists roughly double a standard percentage. He admits some artists may still feel shortchanged and calls that a matter of perception.
Shows and events coming up
Mayonie held a showcase during Amsterdam Dance Event on 23 October at Het West-Indisch Huis. A short documentary on his European touring, Golden Hour, was made by Corona Studios and can be watched on YouTube. It runs for about eight minutes.
At home, Bantwini has these dates:
- Mayonie Open Air Festival: Sunday 29 November, Constitution Hill, Johannesburg. Tickets start at R250 on Howler.
- Corona Sunsets Summer Tour: 21 November at Menlyn Park Lawns, Pretoria.
- Corona Sunsets Summer Tour: 12 December at Dimawe, Manyana, near Gaborone.
- Corona Sunsets Summer Tour: 19 December at Manor House, Ballito.
What it means for fans and aspiring industry workers
For fans, the practical points are the festival date and the ticket price from R250, with the tour stops spread across Pretoria, Botswana and KwaZulu-Natal. For young South Africans who want a music career, Bantwini’s message is that careers in management, law and PR matter as much as performing. The Wits programme he mentions is still being developed, and the source gives no start date or entry requirements.
This story is based on reporting by IOL.
