On Saturday, one of my favourite musicians, Tocky Vibes, launched his new album. The lineup was big names, dancers, even my sister Madam Boss was there promoting the show like it was a national election.
But guess what?
The show flopped.
Not fifty people. Not thirty.
Less than twenty people came.
Twenty!
If you had sneezed in the crowd, everyone would have said “Bless you” because they’d all hear it!
Is Tocky a Good Musician?
Of course he is!
The man is talented, lyrical, deep the kind who sings about real life while others are busy singing about beer and breakups.
But the question isn’t about talent.
The question is:
“Does Tocky have the market?”
And the answer is simple: No! Not right now.
Farming and Mbare Musika Logic
Let me explain this like a vendor from Mbare (which, by the way, I am ).
Music is like farming tomatoes and potatoes. You can farm all year round sweat in the sun, dig trenches, apply fertilizer but when harvest time comes and you take your sacks to Mbare Musika, you’ll quickly learn something:
The one who owns the market is not the farmer.
It’s the Makoronyera.
These guys don’t even farm but they control the buyers.
They know who’s buying, what price they’re offering, and which gate is open.
If you go to Mbare without a Makoronyera, you’ll watch your tomatoes rot in front of you while they’re busy eating sadza with offals behind the stalls.
Music Is the Same
In the music world, promoters are the Makoronyera.
You can sing like Beyonce, dance like Michael Jackson, or even shout like Silent Killer but if you don’t have a promoter, you will flop like an unripe avocado.
Look at Winky D he teamed up with Elder Chipaz, and boom stadiums full, lights flashing, everyone chanting “Gafa! Gafa!”
That’s because Elder Chipaz owns the market.
He knows where the fans are, which city to go to, what time to start, how to price tickets, and how to fill the place before the artist even arrives.
Even Jah Prayzah, with all his fame, still works with promoters.
Why? Because talent without the market is like a preacher without a congregation. You’ll be shouting “Hallelujah!” to empty chairs.
Who Owns the Market?
In music promoters like Chipaz, Mr. Tich in Kadoma, those are the kings.
In business the ones who own distribution, marketing, and customer loyalty are the kings.
You can have the best product, the best service, even the best accen but if no one knows you, you’ll just be another genius eating maputi in silence.
The Vendor’s Wisdom
When you understand the market, you stop crying about lack of support and you start learning how to sell.
Tocky’s talent is not the problem.
His market access is.
If he relaunches that album with Elder Chipaz, I promise you sold out!
Because in this world, my friends
The one who owns the market is the King.
And the rest of us are just talented peasants waiting to be discovered.
Moral of the Story
In music, in business, in farming you don’t win by being the most talented.
You win by owning the market.
So the next time you want to start something big, ask yourself:
“Am I Tocky… or am I Chipaz?”
By The Chartered Vendor
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#TalentVsMarket #OwnTheMarket #BusinessInAfrica
