At a tender age, we are all taught to find and pursue our passion. This may be drawing, painting, singing or even playing a sport. As life happens however, many are forced to trade off their passion for a more corporate and steady career. Some choose to wing it, but the stories of celebrities dying broke have become fodder for journalists. This is mainly because the local entertainment industry does not often provide the lucrative incomes that guarantee a happily ever after. In instances where it does, the artists might not be as business minded as is required to match their artistic talents. It is therefore essential to approach their work as a bona fide business. This calls for meticulous planning, constant monitoring and evaluation.
THE CASHMERE SUMMER
 |
| The artwork for KBRIZZY's new projects, The Cashmere Summer E.P. |
Fresh off the success of his debut EP, Cashmere Summer, and getting a BAA nomination shortly thereafter. Bulawayo rapper K-Brizzy shares some nuggets with aspiring artists in all sectors to help them realise success both in their art and business.
KNOW YOUR TARGET MARKET
"The first tip I would give to artists on the rise is to "Know your target market." I mean this in the deepest of ways. You have to know specifically their age range, their socio-economic status, their dress style and religious stances. This not only helps you shape your product to appeal strongly to them, but helps you present yourself as an "individual worth their attention' to them."
SET SPECIFIC GOALS AND TIMELINES
"Set "time and stats specific goals." A lot of artists approach the business end of their job with the same mentality they approach the creative end of it. They "go with the flow". A better approach is to specifically state the goals you want to achieve. What is your idea of "succesful"? Is it 500 units sold? 10 000? 50 000? What time frame do you give yourself to achieve a task? A month? A week? I believe once artists break down their routine into tasks that have a goal and timeframe (i.e I need to gain 1000 followers and sell 300 Units in the month of May), they can also map out their progress better."
KNOW AND FOCUS ON YOUR STRENGTHS
"Know your strengths. Sometimes, old school techniques still work. "Specialisation" can still take you a mile and a half. The new wave of tech geniuses & music maestros has strongly sold an idea of "you need to run your entire business yourself" to a lot of young people. In as much as that approach works, it might not work across the board. You need to know your specific strength and sharpen it to perfection. Know as much as you can about everything in your business, but you do not need to do everything yourself. In most cases, you spread yourself out to thin and end up gaining little ground. You can know what you want, know how you want it, and still not need to do it yourself."
Comments