The meticulous art of indie rollouts in South Africa
Rollout (n)
An informal business term for the introduction and integration of a new product or service to the market, which is accompanied by a strong marketing campaign, to generate consumer interest.
The record label juxtaposition Of Major Vs. Independent is older than Jay-Z’s 1996 Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam joint venture. Until fairly recently, there has been mistily veiled information that my inner conspiracy theorist argues was purposefully withheld for major labels to leverage not only sought-after career advancement knowledge, but the systematic support and access required to actualize mobility at a practical level.
As the term "underground" in the pop culture lexicon was traded for "alternative" and "independent", the information gap which serves to empower musicians in their shark infested industry was bridged by content culture with podcasts leading the fold of previously inaccessible knowledge. Naturally, we credit unveiling to the age of masterclass content creation such as the AMPD Studios Masterclasses, Music Distributor YouTube channels (such as Distrokid and Ditto Music), and social media discourse.
Part and parcel of mainstream music conversation is the polarizing conversation of rollouts for an artist's body of work ; how rollouts have become a measure wherein one can separate the good, great, and ugly of artists, their PR officers and marketing agencies as they release new music. In an era of overstimulation by Tik-Tok videos, Tweets, Reels, YouTube videos, and more, New Music Friday walks the thin line between exhausting and exhilarating. More often than not, it takes active campaigning to ensure sustained relevance and brand visibility, the two laws which are godly in the attention economy.
While there are artists who rely on the strength of their fandoms to create demand, campaign and carry the wave of their latest additions to their legacy catalogs, there is a bourgeoning breed of artists who are breaking their backs, going above, beyond, and within carefully calculated budgets to ensure they rival their peers, signed or unsigned.
To illustrate as much, consider the following intricate independent artist case studies: Bra Nyoga, Tyson Sybateli, Underground King, Sipho The Gift, and for the love of all things NORMVL, please say the by, ByLwansta.
“Stop being broke we coming home”, Tyson Sybateli
What I treasure most about my line of work is how my assignments curate my playlists and introduce me to new music. Little did I know when I was assigned to review “Eve” by Tyson Sybateli that I was in for an emotional, charismatic and influential ride that excited me to belt bedroom bars over Griselda type beats. While “Eve” was my first full-length Tyson experience, he waxed "On the day of many twos, my album comes", postulating that he was working on an album that could be released on the 2nd or 22nd of February 2022.
Due to back and forth zoom meetings and “screwing folks over” industry politics, this day did not come to pass. What we got instead was the second phase of the Home rollout. This phase included the launch of the Tyson Sybateli website, a mailing list, followed by the release of “If Found Bring Home” featuring Jay Jody accompanied by an MTV Base Spankin’ New Premiere.
The faceless campaign rallied Pretoria, Kwa-Zulu Natal, and the country at large to change their social media profile pictures to a faceless Sybateli. Tyson built momentum by quietly teasing unreleased tracks via his website and hitting the streets to share his festivity with fans (S/O StreetFest fr). At the height of this buzz, he debuted an album that lived up to the hype and a press run that developed our understanding of the man behind the bars. .
I don’t know what was more exciting, being left to form my understanding of the music or listening to him unpack the color-emotion discourse of the album. It is his intentional engagement with his audience or the coincidental resemblance to Kendrick Lamar’s oklamar campaign when he launched his rollout significantly earlier; the anti-hero of Pitori street rap culture is punching above the weight of his hood legend status and is daring to rival the gods.
“Sometimes I sleep deep, feel like Lazarus”, Sipho The Gift
Sipho The Gift’s #LOUTUK campaign is where we start to question the parameters of discourse around low budgets as they relate to quality. Minimalist, greyscale and effective, Pinnacle Pop EIC, Sindi Ndaba, and podcaster and producer, Yazz The Student expressed excitement around Sipho The Gift which subtly influenced my review of his critically acclaimed, LOTUK (Legend Of The Underground King).
Lead singles “Dark Matter” featuring Magelra Doe Boy, “Old Soul” featuring Thato Saul, “Growth” featuring Youngsta CPT, and “Nia Long” were all shot in the same location, weaving between single frame shots and multiple scene cuts before the album dropped. The post-release rollout campaigning via an All That Yazz episode, a 5FM interview with Ms. Cosmo, an Almost Perfect Podcast Interview, and the premiere of the "Represent" music video, on MTV Base Spanking New Premiere developed not only a keen appreciation for the craftsmanship of this body of work but a desire to revisit his catalogue..
With this work ethic, merch, and attention to creative detail, it took Sipho’s confirmation that he is fully independent for me to believe anything other than him being signed to a major with a sexy marketing budget. As he enters his Mirror Man era, I am keen to witness him exceed my LOTUK expectations, because my broer SET THE BAR HIGH.
“Never knew what established meant until I built me an establishment”, ByLwansta
Call me wild, but personally I stan a king who is not afraid to go drop for drop with Grammy award-winning Adele. Granted, ever since he broke into the COLORS sphere four years and a million views ago, we expect nothing less from the NORMVL connoisseur. In one of the most elaborate debut album rollouts I have had the honor of experiencing in my lifetime, ByLwansta silently introduced three characters to the #SPIJØNGET album series; an intimate account of his losses, wins and escapades that have shaped the narratives of the elusive sonic novelist.
Over a 3-year period, we were drawn into the first-person narratives of Sad Boy By, Lover Boy By and Businessman By who reflected interesting lived experiences like applause-worthy successes,heartbreak, misfortunes, and a category of NSFW xvideos. Everything from the color schemes of the album covers, to the marketing genius of the quirky “ASMR” Durex condom campaign, and the interesting Hype Magazine Cover Evolution, had me on the edge of my DSPs, waiting for the next installment of the #SPIJØNGET journey.
As a staunch conversationalist, ByLwansta unpacked the intersections of creativity, business, and graphic design via podcasts, interviews, and a plethora of masterclass podcasts. ByLwansta expanded on ideas around the business of music, the importance of thinking out of the box with rollouts and how graphic design became an asset in the lengthy #SPIJØNGET campaign. It goes without saying, he is a complex author, positioning his prologues, character arcs, chapters, and epilogues into visual, sonic, and text mediums appealing to all of our entertainment senses. Currently busy with his “Wait, You Produce Too?” YouTube series, presumably ending the #SPIJØNGET campaign, one can only wonder what will follow the iconic Adventure Time samples, daring, and meticulous music, bustling with captivating production.
It might be biased to hold this opinion, however the care an artist gives toward the packaging and delivery of their craft will inevitably influence their work’s shelf life on my algorithm and how I interact as an industry professional. When rolling out works with ambitions to be remembered, prioritize one thing when investing in your craftsmanship: ongoing engagement. Much like Sipho The Gift, ByLwansta and Tyson Sybateli, you have the DIY power and leverage which positions you to establish your own Roc-a-Fella empire or to benefit like major labels.
