Dancehall musician Don Tarz expressed his disappointment over the challenges facing the Malawian dancehall scene, likening it to the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where local resources primarily benefit outsiders. He emphasized that, like a flame that attracts but doesn’t warm, many Malawian dancehall artists can energize a crowd but struggle to seize financial opportunities.
In light of this, in a post on his official Facebook page, Tarz highlighted the memorial show for the late hip-hop artist Martse as an example of a successful monetization strategy, where attendees were allowed to pay at the door.
He elaborated on this by describing the approach as an effective way to support their efforts, noting, “You have to make hay while the sun shines.”
Unfortunately, this is not the case for the dancehall community, where events like the memorial show for the late dancehall artist Mafunyeta are consistently organized for free, indicating significant missed opportunities for revenue, akin to letting ripe fruit fall from the tree.
In a similar vein, the memorial show for renowned reggae artist Evison Matafale, which is intertwined with dancehall, also occurs at no charge.
Furthermore, Tarz mentioned that on December 19th each year, a memorial show for Joe Malenga (RIP) is hosted in Mtandile, which is free of charge.
In light of this situation, he proposed to the organizers that they should consider charging fans a small fee, perhaps K500, to support the family and cover other logistics, emphasizing that “a penny saved is a penny earned.”
Ultimately, Tarz is urging dancehall artists and organizers to explore effective monetization strategies, highlighting the need to turn revenue into sustainable income.
