Just after concerts, gatherings and all forms of social engagements were suspended in the wake of the spread of the novel coronavirus, it did not take long for singers, bands and choirs to start thinking about a new way to revitalize their operations.

In the beginning, some choirs turned to virtual production of their new songs, but this was not enough as many artistes relied and survived on concerts. They therefore, had to find another alternative, which was online concerts.

Ranging from Mbonyi’s online concert to Tuff Gang’s concert, Tom Close’s virtual event, Iwacu Muzika Festival and My Talent live, artistes now had to embrace the new normal.

Embracing the new normal

Some artistes interviewed, shared that getting used to the new normal was a tiresome experience. Patient Bizimana, was the first gospel artiste to perform at Iwacu Muzika Festival.

He recalls the experience, saying: "It was a serious experience! Performing in front of empty chairs being used to thousands of people, it was really demotivating”.

"The vibe on stage was really down, but we kept getting used as time went by”, he reiterates.

Emmy Nsengiyumva, a Rwandan-based entertainment journalist also said that technological advances became an issue during the concerts.

"Most of the concerts were pre-recorded, but we were informed that they were live. This was caused by the poor internet connectivity we have, most concert organisers failed to live-stream their events due to the poor internet and lower technological advances”, he adds.

Lessons learnt

Bizimana learned that virtual concerts need as much attention as physical concerts.

"We do not have any excuse as to why we can’t advance our music career, if we can be able to perform for people at home whereas performers are in a different place, then we do not have an excuse to advance our music career”, he says.

He also adds that virtual gatherings made it easier in increasing their audience.

"It’s amazing how usually we have a concert of 5, 000 people, but on social media platforms we had more than 15,000 minimum”, he said.

Nsengiyumva also noted that online concerts should be embraced more since they also generate profit yet their organisation is less stressful.

"Concerts such as these (virtual) that do not require a location, should act as a form of business, because YouTube pays and sometimes supporters are present during those kinds of shows”, he highlights.

Music critiques and experts, also affirm that virtual events were unexpected in Rwanda, and were pushed by the effects of the pandemic.

"If you check out other countries, they are also not ahead of us, but we all have no choice but to embrace technology in this era so that music is not left behind,”Jacques Murigande, a music critic and head of Rwanda School of Creative Art and Music said.

He also added that virtual events held in Rwanda in the wake of precautions of Covid-19, did not allow upcoming artistes to rise, but rather big names in the industry kept flourishing.

When are virtual events recommendable?

Although artistes show that there are still challenges in conducting online shows, they recommend them in some instances.

For singer Bizimana, virtual events are mostly recommendable for artistes living abroad in case they want to connect with their local fans.

"Like the Misigaros who are living abroad, it is costly for them to move to Africa to perform, instead of holding virtual events, which have also proven to be very impactful,” he said.

On the other hand, Nsengiyumva believes that virtual events would be good for artistes who have not yet grown a sizeable fan base.

"For upcoming artistes who have not yet grown their fan base to fill a conference hall or stadium, they can pursue the virtual format, because it does not cost them much.”

Artistes who are in a phase of musical comebacks can also consider virtual events. Other than risk an underattended venue, they can use technology to test how much they are appreciated.”