Opportunities for musicians in Congo-Brazzaville

The state of the Congolese music economy

Congolese music has been at an economic crossroad for about two decades. Gone are the days where people would queue at record stores to purchase the latest release. The digital wave has changed everything. Most of the production and distribution labels that flourished during the last quarter of the 20thcentury are struggling or have closed down.

Self-production has taken over mechanical rights. To make matter worse, there is a lack of venues in towns and villages of Congo. Artists continue to perpetuate the tradition of concerts in bars, a situation that doesn’t appeal to some music lovers. This means that musicians and their management staff no longer depend on an economic model. To make it on their own, they need to diversify.

Royalties  

In January 2013, the daily Les Dépêches de Brazzaville in an article entitled "Musicians welcome the work of the Congolese Copyright Office" reported the resentment of Brazzaville musicians: "I am only enjoying my royalties now. It allows me to pay my bills even if it is not consistent. The new office amazes us every day," said Chairman Jacques Koyo. This means that some members of the Bureau Congolais des Droits d’Auteur (BCDA) receive some of their royalties. Others, despite their membership, do not or question the objectivity of the distribution system. Artists, according to their work and reputation, receive from 20 000 francs CFA (US$40) to 4 000 000 CFA Francs ($8000) per year.

However, the BCDA still lacks transparency and appropriate means to ensure recoveries. Most media do not pay any fee. The money collected comes mainly from the partnership with the SACEM [iii] and a tax fulfilled by the owners of bars, nightclubs, public transport buses and taxis.

Informal sales

Less popular musicians are often self-produced. Ignoring the official distribution channels, they often decide to sell their own products. They first sell to their acquaintances, then to the public. They sell their music to restaurants, offices, retailers or high officials. Similarly, when they have a concert or attend a festival, they do not hesitate to sell their CDs before or after their performance and can sell hundreds. 

Live performances

Despite the lack of venues, Congolese bands continue to perpetuate the tradition of concerts in bars to express their art and earn a living. Every weekend, many bands perform in popular venues known to music lovers.  With or without an entry ticket (500 or 1000 CFA francs or 1 or 2 US dollars), these fans sustain live bands. In some places, the bands benefit from a percentage of the price of drinks. They earn the surcharge of 300 to 500 CFA francs per bottle. Others invite the audience to voluntarily donate, are paid for their performance (inside and outside the country), participate in festivals or perform at the French Institute of Congo Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire.

Tours abroad

In the same process, there are musicians and groups such as Extra-Musica, Zao, les Bantous, Oupta, Mel Malonga or Chicadora that benefit from tours abroad, in Africa or Europe. 

Each year, the, Beethoven Mpela Yombo, a Congolese promoter, organizes an event called La nuit du Congo where different groups from Brazzaville perform overseas. National sponsors and partnerships with cities or cultural promoters of the host country make this annual event possible.

Patronage and sponsorship

Patronage and sponsorship are currently the new methods of financing Congolese music. Often, a group or musician works with a company or a state institution (for example, the National Protocol for official ceremonies). Some groups or individuals have partnership agreements with companies to act as a mascot by associating their names to a brand or performing at their internal and external ceremonies (such as parties, product launches or inaugurations).

For example, Roga Roga and Casimir Zao are on all posters of the French telephone company Azur and both are involved in promoting the product events. Ricky Simeon, the drummer of Bantous de la Capitale, has lent his image to promote a product of MTN. Similarly, les Brasseries du Congo hired popular DJs (Migo One, Epela and Anti-virus) to animate their promotional campaigns. They also organize singing competitions whose winners earn a few million CFA francs.

During election campaigns, bands are asked to conduct political rallies. The same goes for awareness campaigns by health institutions or campaigns against corruption, deforestation and poaching etc. Mobile companies also remunerate artists whose songs are used as ringtones.

Name-dropping

It has become increasingly rare to hear a rumba song without name-dropping. This is the new method of self-financing. Historically, name-dropping coexisted with lyrics. It was a way for artists to express their gratitude to their patrons and sponsors.

For the past 20 years or so, this practice, under the influence of musicians from the Democratic Republic of Congo, has transformed the business by 90%. It is common among the younger generation. Mfumu Fylla Saint-Eudes, journalist and Congolese writer, highlights in his book La Musique Congolaise du 20ème siècle (chronicle) [i]: “All bands cite the same names be it in Kinshasa or Brazzaville. Lambda citizens looking for a frivolous celebrity will hardly hesitate to spend their scarce money for a dedication. Congolese musicians have thus succeeded in creating a source of additional income”.

Today, name-dropping takes three forms: a simple mention, farotage[ii] or a dedicated song. A musician, depending on his fame, can earn from 500 000 CFA to 10 million Francs Cfa ($1000 to $20 000.

Raymond Tsi, administrator of Extra-Musica Zangul, acknowledges that “songs lose their artistic value to name-dropping but, they allow artists to earn a living. Without the Mabanga, young artists wouldn’t make it as name-dropping allows a musician to earn as long as the song is successful”.

[i] Mfumu Fylla Saint-Eudes.2006.  La Musique Congolaise du 20ème siècle (chronique). Kinshasa:Impreco. p.475. [ii]  From Ivorian musical jargon meaning distribute banknotes to musicians during a concert.
[iii] Société des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Editeurs de Musique (France).