DJ Tira, DJ Fresh Encourage Local Creatives
Spira Tlhankane | Monday March 29, 2021 12:26
The entertainment industry has long been halted since last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. DJ Tira and DJ Fresh tackled the topic ‘Life is inside and outside the COVID bubble’ during a panel discussion.
Thato Sikwane also known as DJ Fresh said one thing COVID did in the entertainment industry was making them realise that they are not ready for emergencies. “We have had discussions like if you were to lose your job today, do you have enough money to last you three months at least, while you are looking for another job?” he said. He said people were not prepared for a situation that will last beyond those first three months without income. DJ Fresh also said for a person who relocated to Johannesburg, South Africa in December 1994, he has been fortunate to have a long period to establish himself.
He said he has been able to save, have contingency plans for situations such as the current one where there is no income in the industry. “You don’t have to earn a thousand bucks in order to save. You can save 25% of ten bucks and live within the remaining 75%,”he said. DJ Fresh revealed that saving is a habit and lifestyle therefore a lot of people in the entertainment industry took all of that for granted. “You are getting gigs all the time, people love you and you think this tap will never dry.
So if you are not using your celebrity status or fame to find other means of income then you are wasting a good fan base, Vee will tell you with his water brand. You will be surprised to see how many people will be willing to spend money on what you are offering,” he highlighted.
He said going forward entertainers should not just focus on gigs, but rather leverage on the names they have built to generate other forms of income. “You need to build beyond your own hype, you need to build beyond the flavour of the moment, because it will not last forever,” he said.
For his part DJ Tira said the collaboration with BIMC will possibly see a Botswana stage at his Fact Durban Rocks event in the future. “The government won’t take an artist to a studio to make a song so it is important for us as artists to see the opportunity and grab it,” he said.
DJ Tira said entertainers cannot just look at the Covid situation that they are in right now and give up. “We need to look at other things that we can do in the meantime,” he said. He said there are many streaming platforms artists can explore to make a living. BIMC is the brainchild of local veteran music promoter and entrepreneur Seabelo Modibe of Total Music Group.