At first we had the album launches which were all the rage but eventually became stale plot. “Phew! Good bye to time wasting, uncalled for traffic jam at awkward hours of the night and congested party places immediately after the show!” Or so we thought. Until recently when some local artistes proved to us that they can insist on giving timewasters plot at all costs. Yes! The “video launches” craze has kicked in, just in time to expose our poor skills at copying things.
Apparently some local artistes have started setting days aside to launch their music videos like there is no tomorrow.
Aha! Ugandans can want. Anyways just so you know, I have been looking around at the different entertainment programmes on these local TV stations and I have noted that this syndrome is appealing to a certain group of people.
Yes, the likes that cannot sing but can give a go at shooting a decent music video and use it as a stepping stone to greater things in the music industry. The likes that pass for artistes with auto tuned voices, who want to convince us that they can sing, with their videos. Now there is no problem with a guy hassling his way to a ka smiling pocket but there is every problem with copying something and doing it without class at all!
In my thinking, a video launch is supposed to help one put their music videos out there to his target audience, both on the local and international map. Which is why I would expect to see representatives from both the local and international channels, big shots in the music industry here and there being invited to the event.
But if one goes on and on about a video launch and then only a bunch of party wannabes are present, then oba it loses its meaning?
And the funniest bit of it is when one leads in the “wrong copying” and the others follow. It does even make sense. Come to think of it, do those video launches apply to Ugandans in anyway?
As far as I am concerned, the Ugandan way of doing things is that, a good song, will always draw the crowds to the video. And that is how it has been. I have not seen anyone refusing to watch and embrace a video of a good, ‘killer’ song.
Hence if one wanted to give the word “innovation” a new meaning, they should start by doing the “music video launch” thing the right way. By injecting enough dimes and having the right guests on board so that it serves its purpose as opposed to looking at it as another venture to waste our time.
Besides, I do not think the likes of Keko, Navio etc had to first do lousy video launches to have their music videos played on international stations like Trace among others.
So all the other wannabes can either choose to do the right songs, choose the right applicable routes to spread their wings or stick to congesting the social scene with meaningless activities (mbu music video launches, full of party animals just) while the clock ticks away!