By Stuart G-Khast
With the everyday decreasing airplay of Ugandan music on local airwaves, singer Jose Chameleone has now stepped up to lead campaign to ensure Ugandan music enjoys rotation in clubs, Radio and TV.
Chameleone together with other concerned artistes like Weasel, A Pass, King Saha last week started the initiative by meeting club owners around Kampala and negotiating with them on how they could save Ugandan music and bring it back to the dance floor.
In the campaign named #SaveUgandanMusic, the artistes requested for fair airplay from club owners and the start was a good one. “We are only negotiating for fair airplay from clubs, Radios and TV. We are not demanding by requesting. Ugandan music is slowly fading off the dance floor yet there is a lot of new nice music all over.” Chameleone said.
He added, “We who came earlier were lucky that we reaped from music but the new generation will not if this doesn’t change. We are requesting clubs, Radios and Televisions to atleast play 70% of Ugandan music, the 30% can be distributed to the rest.”
Chameleone and his team started by visiting Club Silk owner Elvis Ssekyanzi who immediately agreed to increase Ugandan music airplay at all his clubs in Bugolobi and Naalya and also gave a written commitment to the artistes. They then stormed Casablanca owner who also agreed to have 70% Ugandan music played at all his bars. Cayanne, Koko Bar, Riders and Club Play all agreed to follow and comply with the plea.
Chameleone has urged all Ugandan clubs, Radios and TVs to humbly comply and make us all winners. “The countries whose music you are playing more here already have this initiative running in their countries, they play their own more than any other and that has made them big. So it’s also up to us to love and save our own as well. I request all of you there to support Ugandan music, not for is but the generation to come.” he concluded.
The #SaveUgandanMusic campaign is still going on and artistes are devising all means to have their music played more everywhere.
