We have a lot of negative comments when it comes to things to say about our own Kenyan music. But, looking closely and keenly at the Kenyan music industry, it is not all in vain that they do what they do. They have a lot of challenges that they are going through as an industry. The truth is no one, not even the citizens, artists or government is doing anything to make the music industry as flawless as possible. Well, efforts have been put in place but no follow-up is made so it is as good as they never were.

So, what exactly are the challenges that the Kenyan population in the music industry are facing?

Piracy

When was the last time you actually bought music, Kenyan music for that matter? Kenyans, we love cheap stuff, no, we adore free stuff. So when it is not free, piracy is the ultimate solution. Piracy has actually become a business field and e fail to find the fault in it as competition in that area leads to artists not getting the right percentage as per the input they put in their craft. The only thing that the artists can rely on now is the publicity has gotten from the piracy and from that the artists can get good enough gigs.

We Underrated Local Music

As Kenyans, we fail to understand the power of supporting our own music produced and crafted by our own. We are so into international and foreign music and forget that local music needs life as well. Think of local music for instance, when was the last time you actually went online to download a vernacular song? We have created a norm of associating the local music with the rural lifestyle, and an uncool approach to society. We view those who listen to local music as though they have no idea of the evolution as well as the growing modernization and technology. Truth is, we are westernized at heart musically and that is hurting our musical industry and rendering it handicapped.

We Underrate the Work of Our Artist in the Music Industry

We are both familiar with this norm in our Kenyan society. Our playlist will rather comprise Jamaican, Nigerian, South African and even sometimes if not most of the time Tanzanian music. Very less often are we likely to support the production of our own. And when asked, we blame it on the industry. The artists can make your good kind of music if we are not supporting them and telling them how we would like the music to be played. The artist’s talent is not being appreciated in Kenya, how are they even able to compete in the international music industry.

We Are Losing Kenyan Sense of Touch in Music

Most of our artists are out there in the studios trying to sound like someone who has already made a name in the musical industry and yet they are looking forward to be recognized as an artist. Well, it looked cool and funny when it was done in comedy, but if you are looking for a career and you want to be a copy of an original, which is where the challenge comes in. be proud to be Kenyan and tell the world the story of Kenyan music the Kenyan way using words that Kenya would use.

Lack of Well Structured Musical Kenyan Legacy

Most artists wake up in the morning and decide that they want to record a song that will hit the music charts and make them famous. The art of music in itself is legacy. You need someone who you can look up to and realize that it takes actual steps to actually make it in music. This is why and how we lose touch with the Kenyan style because we don’t have Kenyan idols and musical icons to look up to, the end result of that is international musicians.

Lack of Goals and Support System

Going down to what really makes  Kenya is what happens after someone makes it and that someone happens to be Kenyan. That is the only time you have the entire nation creating a buzz about you. The government doesn’t know about the music industry and the organizations meant to be the support system have sunk deep in the quicksand. The goal of most artists is to record a song, have it on social and electronic media and get a few gigs. That is a jackpot to many Kenyan artists. What about annual words? What happened to give the artists that recognition once in a while if not often. That is where we fail as Kenyans. We have classified the musical industry as a personal affair and individualized the success.

Inadequate Means of Distributing the Music

Artists have a major setback when it comes to making sure that Kenyans have heard their say. Before that is achieved, the artist goes through bumpy rides from office to office, to stations, and blasts social media. It is a challenge that we can overcome if only we are sane enough to come up with companies that are capable of doing the distribution for the artist.

Originality Is a Copy and Paste Affair

Look closely at our Kenyan artists and I am pretty confident that you will be able to see hints of the international artists in their work. There is no originality, in the music produced, the kind of lifestyle we want to live, and the way we talk and dress. We have a problem building our own style but feel okay trying to be someone else. What happened to musical authenticity when it comes to Kenyan music?

High Costs of Music Production

This is to our producers and all the creatures in the music industry. Having a good music album or even a single can cost as much as erecting yourself a few blocks of houses. And that is not fair to our artists, especially the upcoming ones. The costs of production should be sensible.

Fraud and Extortion in the Industry

Let us talk about genuine studios and directors as well as producers. Let’s talk about fake references. Let us mention the insanely high rates of music production in Kenya and most of us will agree that there is a scam and scheme in the underground lanes of this industry. The rates of production sometimes are insanely high with production being very low quality. Some of them were worth every penny while others it’s a scheme. Why pay more for low-quality music why pay more for a producer who won’t be with you every step of the way? Why pay more for the music that eventually is not even yours because the producers didn’t listen to a word you had to say.