The Chronicle
Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
BULAWAYO musicians now have a record bar where their fans and everyone who loves music can buy their products.
The bar is situated at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
The Byo Umculo Corner, housed in the Sabona Craft Shop, was launched last week by the Bulawayo Musicians’ Association (BMA) in conjunction with the gallery.
The BMA interim board is chaired by Dalom music singer, Khuxxman.
According to the BMA’s interim board secretary, Sipho Nyathi, the bar was an initiative meant to ensure that Bulawayo music was available on the market.
“There has been a concern over the years as to where people can get music from Bulawayo. Now that there are radio stations playing the music and the demand for it is increasing, this Umculo Corner can be used by artistes to sell their music on CDs to the public. It is also a place that’s central and anyone who loves music can access it,” said Nyathi.
He said they will be collecting music from local artistes to sell at Umculo Corner.
Nyathi said this initiative was birthed after a workshop they organised last Thursday about branding and marketing.
He said so far there were 10 artistes who had dropped off their music at the Umculo Corner.
“We are ready to take more CDs from artistes. We have told them about this. Although some may feel it was at short notice, what is encouraging is that they are very much interested in bringing their CDs,” said Nyathi.
Asked why in the digital age they had opted to set up a platform that caters for physical copies, Nyathi said: “There are some people who prefer physical copies even though we are living in the digital age. We know that and we want to cater for them”.
Prices for CDs range from $20 to $45.
