The Evolution of the Roles of Producers in the Zimbabwe Recording Industry

Abstract

Music producers in pro-studios enjoyed autonomy and influenced goings-on in the recording industry in Zimbabwe. The operating terrain within the Zimbabwe recording industry has drastically changed owing to the advent of digital recording technology. Their hegemony has slackened due to the emergence of home studios which have liberated musicians through accepting different music genres. In this chapter, we explore the changes in roles of the music producer from the old school pro-studios which operated from the 1970s to modern-day home studios which emerged at the turn of the millennium. We conducted semi-structured interviews with studio owners, producers and musicians. As players in the industry, we also did participant observation within the Zimbabwean recording industry. Music producers of the digital era are equipped to do real musical instrument playing, MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) sequencing, mixing, mastering and marketing. Modern technological developments directly impact the modus operandi to determine the relevance and business viability of producers in the Zimbabwe recording industry.