The first of The Music Industry Incubator workshops kicked off on June 9 with Zimbabwean-born superstar producer Mr Kamera. In our chat, we covered a lot of topics that would be incredibly helpful to Zimbabwean musicians of all kinds. An edited of the conversation can be played and downloaded below. We also have detailed timestamped notes and resources that cover the issues we discussed. Please note that all information and quotes from Mr Kamera will be in quotation marks and italicized “like this”. This is to help make it easier for you to see differentiate the advice between us and Mr Kamera.

Summary

• 4:30 Kamera of the importance of creating music every day so you have a variety of options for Artists when they come calling for collaborations

• 5:14 How Kamera approaches collaborating with other producers and session musicians to add various elements to a song.

  • It is important to note that a producer has the ability to call in other musicians to add to the composition or song. Throughout the chat we make mention of this and also the final role the producer plays.

  • When a musician is called in by an artist or producer to play an instrument, they are referred to a Session Musician. Under Zimbabwean Copyright Law a Session Musician will produce a Commissioned Work

  • Under Zimbabwean law, the person commissioning and paying for a work is granted initial copyright ownership in the work. Under section 14(4)(e) commissioned sound recordings belong to the commissioning party. Additionally, works created in the scope of employment belong to the employer under section 14(5).

  • 8:39 What Tools does Kamera use to produce.
    “A MacBook Pro Laptop, Good quality headphones, Fruity Loops Studio 9”

  • 11:09 How Kamera went from working with local artists to international collaborations.
    “Faith, consistently working and networking strategically. “

• 14:00 How to facilitate international collaborations.
  “Being persistent with staying in contact with the artists you meet and sending them new music regularly”

• 15:45 Kamera speaks about the administrative assistance he gets from his publishing company and how they are instrumental with facilitating collaborations

• 17:35 The importance of Publishing and its role in a musical composition.

• Collecting royalties on a producer's compositions and how a publishing company will help them exploit their work.

• Kamera also speaks of how his publisher played a role in securing song placements on Netflix’ Blood and Water series.

• 22:40 The importance of Split Sheets.

  • A split sheet is a document that details who composed a work and what percentage they are entitled to. A split sheet should be created for each and every song you write or perform on and should be signed by all parties before a song is released.

  • To download a free example of a split sheet please click the button below:

In this part of the conversation, Mr Kamera briefly mentions the role of Music Supervisors. A Music Supervisor is someone whose responsibility is to find and clear the rights for the music you hear accompanying a scene in a TV Show or Movie. They are always on the hunt for new music that fits the scene in the motion picture. Clearing music requires a lot of paperwork so a Music Supervisor will almost always choose a song that is easier to clear over a song that is a better fits. This means that all your music needs to have signed split sheets and should be submitted to your publisher as well as your distributor in good time so you have An ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) and The ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code) ready if they come knocking.

• 26:25 How compositional royalties work. From registration, to assigning administration of works to a publisher, and Blackbox revenue

• 29:10 The importance of getting song placements as a source of revenue.

  • Mr Kamera speaks again about how networking and remaining consistent with his work allowed him to get a placement with a Japanese Pop Band that was his most lucrative pay day to date.

• 35:57 What Kamera looks out for when collaborating

• 38:58 What the Zimbabwean Industry can do to reach a wider audience.

• “It’s important to find the people who are willing to invest in your art. Look to Africa's musicals hubs like South Africa, Nigeria, and Tanzania. Zimbabwe is not a musical hub. An actor from Detroit has to move to LA to break out. It’s the same in music. Network with musical professionals in those hubs. South Africa and Nigeria have major label offices are there.  Those are the people you need to speak to”

• 47:10 How Kamera stay motivated to keep producing.
  “The bigger artists I work with like Patoranking and Ice Prince are always in the studio. We will leave the club and go straight to the studio and make 5 songs in a day and then 5 songs the next day.”

• 53:20 Understanding the differences between a commissioned work and songs you retain your rights on, what to charge for production.

• 57:20 Kamera explains the difference between generating revenue from the compositional and master recordings of songs

• 1:01:40 Understanding the intricacies of the Zimbabwean Music Business. Importance of registering for PROs and engaging the ministry of arts and culture.

We will be having discussions like this every Tuesday and Thursday at 7 pm Central African Time on Twitter Spaces. Make sure to follow Unplugged Zimbabwe and Point Black to never miss these chats.