Looking through Twitter this week I got caught up in a discussion about how Zimbabwean hip hop artist and producers are failing to grow consumership in the Zimbawean market or any other market for that matter. The discussion  brought foward several issues that observers felt contributed to the lack of the development in the genre’s quest for recognition and market share. The aim for any artist is to be recognised for their craft and for the craft to be taken seriously but it seems achieving this or knowing how to achieve it is beyond the grasp of the players in the music industry. This is an which goes beyond just the artist because there are record labels  investing in studio time and production of music which does not bring in much revenue.

The question amongst many participants in the Twitter discussion was what can be done to change the market position of hip hop music in the Zimbabwean market and then also package the music so that it can be sold to an international audiance? I think the starting point for everyone concerned with this product is to put themselves in the position of a customers and ask the following questions;

What value do I get from the product?

Why should I choose this product instead of the alternatives that are in the market?

It is also good practice at this point to do some market research with whoever the industry considers to be their target market. It is my opinion that most of the products that fail to gain any foot hold in their target market would have failed to answer these two questions. But these are very important questions for any customers and require an answer. That answer will be the reason customers buy the product.

Once those questions are answered all players should then look at their product in terms of attractiveness of the markets and this could be done by asking the following questions;

How much of the market is a potential market for our product?

Who are we competing with?

Who is the market leader and what are their core competencies and USPs?

How can we nullify their competitive advantage and convert their advantage into our own?

What resources to we need to achieve this?

It is my belief that in answering these questions honestly the musicians will come up with a product that is acceptible to the market, competitive against its rivals but more importantly the artists will be more aware of the value they give to their customers.

But some people will say good music or art does not need commercialisation or strategic planning, it sells itself….