Uganda: Fezah app inks promo deal with Jazz FM

Jazz FM will also host a second slot every Saturday which will exclusively feature Fezah artists, covering album reviews as well as artist interviews.

Developed by Elijah Kitaka and Ham Namakajjo, Fezah was released in May 2015 with the aim of making artist bookings easier while reducing the work of event organisers who can access a larger number of artists thereby reducing scouting time and cost. a promoter that is signed up on Fezah is able to send an offer directly to multiple artists in multiple countries and quickly see who is interested to perform at an event and the artist’s terms of engagement.

Additionally, a booker who is signed up on Fezah also gets alerts when new artist that fits their booking criteria signs up on Fezah and artists can track bookings from prospective clients. These services are currently only available in Kenya and Uganda. So far more than 150 artists are signed up.

“We know that radio plays a big part in how people discover music and musicians," says Kitaka. "We also know that musicians struggle to get their music played on radio. This partnership will go a long way in solving these challenges.” He explains that artists that are already on Fezah need to upload music to their Fezah profile or send their music to the Fezah offices in order for the radio station to access it.

“Beyond enabling artists get gigs, for artists bookers Fezah enables them access to a larger portfolio of artists which greatly reduces his scouting time and cost,” Kitaka notes. He further says that

Future plans

With operations in Kenya and Uganda, Kitaka says they plan to expand their services to new markets. However, they are careful not to do this prematurely.

“Fezah is an exciting idea, but requires behaviour change," says Kitaka. "Our operation in the two countries is a way for us to clearly understand the key drivers of that change so that further expansion will be more efficient.

“The future we are trying to build at Fezah is a more democratized booking ecosystem. One in which artists at all stages of their careers are easily discoverable, and the journey from discovery to a performance stage is quick and efficient for both bookers and artists worldwide.”