Shafiq teamed up with his friends who are based in Europe to start up a studio. Being an artiste, he decided to give chance to many youths find a career in the entertainment industry. At Sous Studio, there are artistes, producers, song writers, dancers and video directors. He tells us more about his business.
Why did you decided to call your business Sous Studio?
We wanted to find something unique and easy for anyone to say and memorise. Sous in its true meaning it refers to something priceless. So we basically wanted our studio to help even the less privileged.
When did you open this studio?
In January 2014.
Why did you decide to start a studio for a business?
I and my partners Nafia Magala and George Katende have always had a passion for music and because we are all artistes, we needed to start up a business that unifies us.
How much did you invest in this studio?
About Shs15m.
Where did you get all that money from?
Through savings from musical shows. My partners also sent money from overseas.
What are the studio charges?
We only charge Shs200,000 to record a song.
Why are you guys cheap?
First and foremost, our goal is to promote talent first then money later. Then, we are located in Kitende, which is far from town, so we have to give people an incentive to come to our studios.
Why would an artiste come all the way to Kitende for an audio production and leave studios in town?
We are both a recording studio and a school whereby we also train and groom artistes who are not yet ready for studio time. We have song writers and backup artistes, all at no extra cost, and then our environment is so conducive for anyone.
How much do you make in a month?
About Shs1m.
How many employees do you have at Sous Studio?
We are seven, but each of us has an area of specialty though at times we help each other out. We are like a family.
How do you manage to pay all those people if in a good season you can only make Shs1m?
Like I said, we work hand in hand. If I’m lucky and I get a gig, I give some of the money I earn to the others and so do the song writers, the producers and so on. So long as rent is sorted, we find ways of getting some money.
What are some of the songs produced at this studio?
Kakubidewa by Bitone, Shuga Shuga by Tip Swizzy, Nseyeya, Akamuli and Sweet Sweet among others.
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