Six Ways Dancehall Artistes Can Stay Current During COVID …Without The Antics
There’s a kind of recycled strategy employed by Dancehall artistes and their teams when it comes to promotion and publicity. If it’s not something of shock value, it’s some manufactured beef, the classic controversial statement, or an overhyped project.
In this month’s picks, D’Angel went the shock value route by selling worn panties among her product offering on OnlyFans. Newbie to the platform, Macka Diamond, followed suit with salacious photos and a “sex tape” exclusively available to subscribers. The feuds (online and offline) are ever-near, and there’s always some personalities bashing the new generation, their music, or their fashion sense (Koffee is a popular target).
But there are better ways to maintain relevance or “trend” as digital natives would say. With the unique challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, artiste management teams have been forced to find different ways to keep their acts “COVID-current”, especially since screen times have increased and people are scouting different platforms for entertainment.
Here are six ways artistes can sustain their relevance – minus the outdated antics.
Brand deals
Up your coin, expand your brand and be the talk of the progressive town while you’re at it!
Brand deals do well for an artiste’s visibility especially if it’s with an international company. Jamaican acts Koffee, Ishawna, and Shenseea have all landed ambassador deals during the pandemic. Koffee now stands as the newest face of credit card giant Mastercard, Ishawna is the premier ambassador for Luxury Roses, while Shenseea has inked brand ambassador deals with clothing giants PrettyLittleThing and Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty.
With the pandemic disrupting all businesses, brand deals are now being closed left and right, and in a shorter time frame than usual according to the RollingStone.
Start a business
Entrepreneurship is another way artistes can stay current during this time. Macka Diamond was early out the entrepreneurial blocks by becoming an orange vendor, taking orders via DM and WhatsApp, and traveling islandwide to satiate vitamin C needs.
Though she had plans of opening a restaurant pre-COVID, host-cum-singjay Yanique ‘Curvy’ Diva decided to kick-start her catering service, mobile style, during the pandemic. Now it’s almost impossible to scroll through Instagram stories without seeing at least one influencer hashtagging the life out of Yanique’s seafood boil or BBQ pig’s tail.
On the fashion scene, Ishawna launched a bejeweled facial mask brand, while Spice debuted a whole clothing line dubbed Graci Noir.
Become a YouTuber
Romain Virgo and his wife laughing for five minutes on their first YouTube video earned more than 200,000 views. If that’s not indication that fans want to see the ins-and-outs of the daily lives of their favorite celebrities, what is?
Spice, who started vlogging in April, has amassed more than 200,000 subscribers and holds her audience through spicy Q&A’s and Atlanta vlogs.
Tami Chin and singjay hubby Wayne Marshall also started their YouTube journey in April, and have more than 100,000 subscribers glued to their family happenings and storytimes.
There’s also deejay Ryan Mark, and occasional uploads by D’Angel.
YouTube is a great space for artistes to stay current, while capitalising on ad revenue.
Release music
Many artistes were hesitant to release projects during the early months of COVID, citing the inability to tour as the primary reason. While artistes earn most of their revenue from touring, other income opportunities should be pursued in light of these physically-distant times. Lo and behold, music streaming.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reports a 12 percent increase in streams for the first half of 2020, compared to the same period last year.
Music consumers are listening to more music to fill the void left by in-person concerts, and some are even revisiting older catalogues. A 2020 mid-year Nielson report reveals that with more people having spare time, 55 percent revisited music they hadn’t listened to in a while. This was evident following the viral Verzuz battle between Beenie Man and Bounty Killer in May, which resulted in their best streaming year ever. This throwback fever also makes it the perfect time for older acts to release commemorative albums or special/collector’s editions.
Social media
Hello IG Live! A number of artistes have stepped up their social media presence during COVID which has boosted their visibility.
3D star Shaneil Muir is a perfect example as she started going Live on Instagram after being laid-off from work in March. Starting with double-digit viewership, she used the platform to perform and promote her music, and it was there that she premiered what became her breakout single, Yamabella. Now on any given day, Muir cops at least 2000 Live viewers.
Other artistes like Jada Kingdom have also used IG Live to invite other fans to showcase their talent, creating viral moments and stronger fan-artiste bonds which will no doubt work in the artiste’s favour post-COVID.