Dancehall and reggae artist Buffalo Souljah talks about the role that technology is playing in the music industry.
Q. How old were you when you had your first experience with technology? And how was the experience?
A. I think when I was 20. My mom got me a Motorola or Nokia.
Q. What role do you think technology is playing in the music industry?
A. It has made music access to the masses faster and easier. We don’t only need radio or TV to push out content. Technology is also a good space for young artists to start their independent record labels, own everything and set up online distribution.
Q. Do you prefer your fans to buy your music online or go straight to the shops?
A. I think online is better but some fans still want to own a physical copy so we also have to cater for them.
Q. What are your thoughts on piracy?
A. These days artists put out songs online for free as part of a marketing strategy hoping the song reaches the masses and becomes a hit. Then you can make your money back through shoes and maybe endorsements.
Q. If you were to invent a gadget to trace and end piracy, what would it be and what would you call it?
A. I would only invent this if people start buying music like before but technology has become a blessing and curse. People have so many platforms to get content, so their listening or attention span has dropped very badly, so much that they don’t even download free music unless you are big name or if there’s hype behind the song. So I will make a time-travelling machine first.
Q.How do you use technology to communicate with your fans?
A. Social media all the way.
Q. Which smartphones are you currently using?
A. Samsung 8 and an iPhone.
Q. Name one thing you that don’t like about your smartphones?
A. Addiction, LOL.
Q. Do you have a recorder app on your phone? If yes, which one?
A. I have the standard voice note recorder that comes with the phone which I use to record my music ideas.
Q. Do you think music legends understand how important social media is to promote their work?
A. Not all of them. However, the ones who are resistant obviously had a hard time moving from analogue to digital.
@SthembisoMedia