The independent Live music scene or rather entertainment scene as a whole seems to be growing at a very rapid pace. Indie lifestyle has become the way to go for many growing brands and businesses; all in the name of unity. Jozi Unsigned is a home for young musicians in and around Johannesburg and the world at large; it also acts as a booking agent and artist manager for various musicians and bands.
“We believe in local talent, the power of the arts & also in the dynamic, cosmopolitan group of pro-active young people; whose thirst for musical fine art supports artists on a day to day. We seek to build on the culture of community to create awareness & promote the great voices hidden on the unheard corner’s of Jozi Streets.”
We linked up with the team to get more insight on how they get down and dirty to bring us such awesome shows and artist:
RVL: When did Jozi Unsigned start?
Jozi Unsigned: Jozi Unsigned started in the winter of 2013
RVL: What inspired the idea?
Jozi Unsigned: We were inspired to start Jozi Unsigned by a combination of passion and circumstance. What was initially 2 high school friends having a go at managing an independent Jazz trio we were besotted with; turned into an eye opening lesson that there were bigger shoes to fill in the world of Local Live Music, so we took to trying those shoes on, et voila!
RVL: How different is Jozi Unsigned from other entertainment brands?
Jozi Unsigned: The basis of who we serve as Jozi Unsigned, pretty much sets us apart from straightforward entertainment brands. We exist 1st and foremost to serve and look out for the talent we like. We aren’t a record label; we aren’t managers; we aren’t confined by one title. We are opportunity creators; support providers and brand awareness builders, who happen to wear the event organiser hats a lot.
RVL: How has the feedback been since you began?
Jozi Unsigned: The response has been sensational. It feels like we got onto a rollercoaster that has no intention of letting us off. Without even knowing it, we founded ourselves at a time when SA was just about to embark on a live music renaissance, that we now find ourselves being an integral part of.
RVL: Great concepts are easy to conjure, but often very hard to initiate and maintain – What are the challenges of putting a team together?
Jozi Unsigned: We’ve been lucky enough not to have too many challenges where putting a team together is concerned. At the minute we’re a team of 3 young ladies who’ve known each other for too long to get it twisted. We weren’t assembled into a team; we all just sort of assumed our positions. Growing our team will prove to be challenging, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
RVL: What is your approach to solving conflict in a team building scenario?
Jozi Unsigned: As a team of 3, young someone’s whose personalities are more different than they are the same; 1 would think conflict was our 4th team member. Conflict is just someone we know and catch glimpses of for fleeting moments. Mutual respect is our 4th Team member, and thus Conflict doesn’t hang out with us. It works in our favour that we’re all female because we talk things through and maturely at that.
RVL: What is the importance of taking risks?
Jozi Unsigned: In our case, if there was no such thing as risk; they’d be no Jozi Unsigned. It’s no so much that we are risk takers as it is that we’re fueled by our passion. We have Giant dreams, that’ll have us enslaved to risk taking till we make them come true.
RVL: What makes a successful manager?
Jozi Unsigned: A good manager is one who is actively part of the team and part of the solutions. As a brand/ organisation, it’s a blessing and a half that we’re managed by the smart and hard-working Lindy Mtongana. Where managing artists is concerned however, a manager needs to understand that they are employed to work for a band, and not the other way around. Perhaps experience stands to correct us on that sentiment, but for now that’s what makes sense to us.
RVL: In a time where the independent industry is growing, how do you stay consistent in terms of the caliber of artists you scout out – is there a certain uniqueness you look out for?
Jozi Unsigned: Jozi Unsigned are totally about the eclectic quirky act out there that sounds nothing like anything that’s trying to sound like someone. If having a hit on radio is your primary objective as an act, then we can’t work with you.We’re into artists, and not fame seekers. Authentic voices are our niche, and if you look at the line up of acts we’ve brought to the Soweto Art and Craft fair stage, it’s pretty clear what we’re not into, and what we are.
RVL: What do you represent within the South African music industry?
Jozi Unsigned: We represent artistic quality. As it is we only work with acts that actually play their instruments, because that’s an amazing skill. We are madly in love with the authentically South African artistic voice, and are playing our part in representing the true musical artistry out there, and growing audiences that can appreciate this too.
RVL: How does music or art as a whole affect the world around you?
Jozi Unsigned: Whether consumers are aware of this or not, the media they are exposed to influences them in every way imaginable. So when all anyone see’s on TV all day is girls with big bums twerking; that’s what they are going to aspire to.It’s pretty cool in this day and age to be anyone but yourself; and art is a powerful tool in engaging with ones identity. Live music in particular can create the kind of social cohesion that can broaden perspectives and change mindsets, one set at a time.
RVL: Where can people follow you?
Jozi Unsigned: Facebook is our primary home, so be sure to like our FB page “Jozi Unsigned”, we are on Twitter too as @JoziUnsigned. We always have our ear out for new acts to work with, and invite aspiring acts to send us links to their work to joziunsigned@gmail.com. We are honest when we tell people what we think of their work, so don’t hate us if we aren’t in Love with what you have to offer.
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