“Wanondishuwira hupenyu hunokunda hwawo.” The Financial Plight of Zimbabwean Popular Musicians

Abstract

Some famous musicians in post-independence Zimbabwe have not realized enough finances to sustain their livelihoods. There are numerous press reports, but this subject has received little academic attention. This tends to blur the economic reality of Zimbabwe’s music industry. In this qualitative study we conduct participant observation, open-ended interviews, and document analysis to uncover the financial experiences of purposively selected Zimbabwean famous musicians. The study gathers views on why some of them face financial difficulties despite their rise to fame. The study reveals that the financial status of the popular musicians is bedeviled by a fledgling economy, exploitative contracts, exploitation by businesspeople, unprofessional conduct of business, copyright violations, and relative absence from the digital platform. There is a glaring need to improve the popular musicians’ welfare through professional conduct of business, as well as having life and health insurance schemes that can cushion them in the future when they are no longer churning out hit songs. Keywords: Album sales, Financial plight, Piracy, Popular musicians, Professionalism, Zimbabwe, Music industry