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Yet another local artist is exposing the injustices of the music industry and fighting for their music rights. Mzwakhe Tumelo Zwane, more affectionately known as Sir Trill, revealed that he hadn’t yet seen a cent for the music he had released earlier this week.
The drama started when Zwane sadly revealed the state of his mental health and career. In a few cryptic posts on social media, he said:
It’s tiring and mentally damaging. So many hits and I’ve never seen a cent . I’m tired .
— GHOST (@SIR_TRILLSA) February 1, 2023
This left fans in a state of shock as Zwane’s musical career made him one of amapiano’s most popular talents, with songs such as Ngisize, Tyler ICU and MacG-Nkantin making him a top dog in the industry.
Over the years, there have been scores of artists who have come out to complain about their music contracts and the rights they were not afforded because of the position they were in when they signed their record deals. Taylor Swift, Kesha and Prince – and even Michael Jackson – have fallen victim to the vicious circle.
The trope of the struggling artist has plagued the industry since creativity became monetised. The artist struggle often unfolds in desperation, with creatives forced and manipulated into bad music deals with little pay.
After defying the odds and creating a career that most can only dream of, Zwane became a father and shared a child with fellow local musician Nkosazana Daughter.
READ: Sjava fans go wild over his latest release
He was also able to switch career paths from lucrative rap to even more successful amapiano and was even able to get an entire nation dancing with hits that are played all over our TV music channels and radio stations. But, little did we know that Zwane wasn’t seeing a cent the entire time. His frustration clearly reached a peak, as the artist would go on to tweet:
Unfortunately, the lack of access and money has made Zwane deeply contemplate quitting his music career and even leaving Twitter forever.
thank you to everybody who genuinely supports “SIR TRILL” .this will probably be my last tweet . ??????????
— GHOST (@SIR_TRILLSA) February 1, 2023
One thing is certain, Zwane has a lot of fans who clearly love him and have rallied behind the artist in order to ensure he remembers he is appreciated and continues to fight for what belongs to him.
This is wrong. Why can't people work together and pay people for their hard work. So wrong on so many levels ?? https://t.co/SPGE5KZH71
— Sipho M???? (@SiphoMqadi015) February 2, 2023
I pray you be fine???? I personally love you https://t.co/qoH8bhi9Ds
— ???????? ?????????????????????? ????????_???????? (@Super_mogul) February 1, 2023
How strong we have to be for our passions. Never forget why you started... https://t.co/BR8s2EJlDA
— Sunil Osman (@SunilOsman) February 1, 2023
We might be seeing the last of the marvellous Sir Trill for a while, as he takes a moment to take care of his mental health and hopefully fight for his music rights, so that he can return a better and even more evolved artist.
However, we have not yet seen the last of the exploitation the music industry has to offer, and Zwane is only one of many cases that have happened and will definitely continue to happen. While we can't change the past, the question is, how can we socially forge a path for artists to no longer require the support of record labels and record deals for their success in the future.
