You are probably wondering why I would spare a thought for
WhatsApp when I'm writing about the music business. Is it a big
deal? Guess what! It is. WhatsApp has 2 billion active
users worldwide. WhatsApp is ranked as the most used mobile
messenger app in the world. More than 100 billion messages are
sent each day on WhatsApp. The average WhatsApp user on
Android spends 38 minutes per day on the app. WhatsApp in
Zimbabwe is arguably the biggest most accessible social media
platform. Almost everyone can claim an "I heard about it first on
WhatsApp" story. We spend countless hours browsing through
posts and status updates on WhatsApp making it a pretty big
deal when it comes to disseminating information vis-à-vis
releasing your music. WhatsApp can therefore be a great tool to
get the word out that your new project is out.
The WhatsApp status feature for example is a great platform to
market your music.
Just the other day I checked out the WhatsApp status of a hip-
hop artist and I noticed that he kept talking about another artist's
latest release. He had even posted a short video of himself
listening to the aforesaid hit song in his car. I could hear that this
song could be something special and I immediately reached out
to him and point blank told him that I liked what I was hearing, I
wanted to know whose song it was and I was keen for the song
to be played on Power FM radio. Sometime later the hip-hop
artist sent me this message "ko ininiwo, ndinoda kuridzwawo
music yangu". Which brings me to wonder, if you have a project,
why aren't you pushing it on your WhatsApp status?
Quick catch up, here is an artist who markets other artist's "hit
songs" on his WhatsApp platform and now he is surprised when
HIS audience asks about the music advertised on his WhatsApp
status and does not enquire about HIS music. I was shocked
when I heard this. Why in the world is he using his WhatsApp
status to market someone else? Why is he not promoting his
brand instead? Believe me, he is not the only one. He is not the
only artist hiding in the shadows, consciously marketing other
artists and deliberately ignoring his own brand. Use your
WhatsApp platform to push YOU. Talk about your brand and
allow your audience to become familiar with what you have to
offer. I told this artist that same information and checked on his
WhatsApp status days later, he was still posting about the other
guy.
It's not only positive reviews that can be used to market
someone, even a negative comment can draw your audience's
attention away from your brand. I have noticed a worrying trend
among some hip-hop artists lately. It's the unfortunate business
of wasting precious time slamming other artists via your online
platforms, WhatsApp not excluded. One day a very talented hip-
hop artist posted a snide remark about what he thought of ExQs
album "Verified Milestone". It doesn't matter what opinion you
have of the album, why in the world would you put those random
thoughts on your WhatsApp status? Why would you go out of
your way to say here I am I have a negative thing to say about a
fellow artist on your space. I'm not saying that artists should not
have opinions, after all artists are human beings and it is natural
that there are things you might or might not like, but why would
you put it out there on your WhatsApp status instead of pushing
you, pushing your brand. Some artists waste too much time
looking at how other artists are running instead of concentrating
on the progress you can make in your own lane. In fact, the
moment I saw that post I wanted to hear the ExQ album, I was
curious to find out if it was as bad as that artist had described.
You see what I mean? It doesn't matter what you post on your
WhatsApp status – whether it is positive or negative – what you
put out there on your platforms especially this readily available
WhatsApp platform, matters. Push you instead and perhaps you
and your brand will resonate.