Art and Life

Image from Qwela hang edition 1 As far back as the contemporary music world has existed, people have made comparisons and pitched talented music acts against each other. It was there in the 1960s with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, in the 1980s with Prince and Micheal Jackson then in the 1990s Britney Spears and Christine Aguilera or even in the Hip Hop world came the  East and West coast comparisons. Closer to home in our little meagre world in Kampala, we have had Kafeero and Basudde, Bebe Cool and Chameleon, Bobi Wine and Bebe, Juliana Kanyomozi and Iryn Namubiru and most recently I am reading pits of Maurice Kirya against Kenneth Mugabi. Image from www.patheos.com Most times these comparisons and petty "fights" are actually totally nonexistent; just media fabrications either to sell stories, records, concerts and brands or just fanning the social mags for internet trolls to stay entertained. These days with the internet freedom we have, everyone now feels...

One of the trickiest thing in the creative industries is defining the value of the work we do and determining what to charge for it. When you are asked the question, "What do you do?" and you find yourself saying "I am a clerk but I play in a band on the side." not mentioning your art form as primary, you are always going to under price your art. From the moment I turned into a professional musician as opposed to a competent amateur, the question of what to charge for my services and products has been a recurring puzzle. Once I think I have figured it out, something changes in the industry, these days mostly the technology, which requires a rethink. Recently, I attended an arts business seminar which made me revisit this question; How do I set my price? This dilemma affects musicians, painters, designers, dancers, film makers, actors etc... Anyone who works in a creative capacity will have come across this once they got past the point of enthusiastic amateu...