87% of all entertainers in Africa urgently need help to survive the impact of the coronavirus Pandemic on their only source of living.
This is according a report released by South Africa based Music In Africa Foundation from a preliminary research conducted into the financial impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the African music industry.
The report revealed that Musicians on the continent on the average lost at least $1000 between March and April because of the coronavirus pandemic.
On the broader scheme, some organizations have their losses exceeding $1m.
The research, which had 503 respondents from 47 countries on the continent, indicated that entertainers who had recorded huge financial loses did not have any alternative sources of income.
CEO of Music in Africa Foundation, Eddie Hatitye, who revealed this to MzGee in an interview on TV3 expressed said the jury is still out but the financial impact of the outbreak is going to be devastating.
“We have run a research to understand the financial impact of the pandemic on the African music sector as a whole. The highlights are that everyone is reported to have lost income. 40% of our respondents at least $1,000 to $5000 within a space of 30 days to 60 days. We are getting three months into this and the impact is devastating.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, several governments have imposed a ban on social gatherings.
In effect, all concerts and programmes planned by entertainers have been suspended, if not cancelled.
Some of these entertainers have taken to hosting virtual events to entertain their fans at home.
But the infant internet infrastructure across the region and related high cost of data is equally making streaming an expensive alternative.
