Adaptation by artistes to the changing music industry environment

This study focused on popular music in Kenya. Kenyan popular musicians employ various performance strategies so as to win audience and to maximize on the business opportunities within the music industry. Successful musicians are measured by the huge audiences that they control through concert attendance, the airplay their music enjoys and the sale of their music products and lately viewership through the social media outlets. The main objective of the study was therefore to establish how popular musicians are adapting to the ever-changing performance environment. The study was conducted in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital city. This was deliberate due to Nairobi’s cosmopolitan nature where thousands of artists converge to practice their trade. The music industry in Nairobi is deemed to be thriving with artistes from all parts of the country and the region striving to make an impact and to win audiences. The population sampled includes DiskJockeys (DJs), Video-Jockeys (VJs), and active pop artistes and event organizers. Purposive technique was used to arrive at the desired population. Primary and secondary data collection method consistent with the research design was applied. Primary data was collected using questionnaires, opinionnaire and interview schedules, while secondary data was collected from libraries and information archives like the Kenya Broadcasting Cooperation (KBC) among others. Qualitative data was analyzed descriptively and emerging themes discussed and related to the prevailing situations for better understanding leading to recommendations suitable for the primary objective of the study. The study outlines the most current adaptive strategies to performance environment as used in other parts of the world by popular artists and recommends the ones adaptable ones to local musicians.