![](https://addisfortune.news/wp-content/themes/addis-fortune/images/defaultPhots/viewpoint.jpg)
Viewpoints | Sep 10,2022
There is a slow-moving sensation taking place in Addis Abeba’s nightlife. Live music is gradually but surely unseating DJs – nightclubs quietly displacing mixers and recorded music with bands and solo performers. The evolution is occurring, especially at upscale establishments that cater to an income group with deep pockets and a taste for musicians performing live.
Nostalgia is popular, with music from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s popping up, like the shots and hard liquor that fly around. Unfazed by the escalating cost of living and oblivious to a raging civil war affecting the rest of Ethiopia, patrons pay hard cash for such luxury. Singles and doubles are rarely heard of; instead, they are expected to get bottles for the night. Live performances are usually more costly, and the bouncers are strict with the “quality” of the crowd allowed in.
If there is no entrance fee, the beer and alcohol cost double that of regular days. The waiters, or even a friendly bouncer, can make well over 100 Br in tips. Spending thousands of Birr, most people’s average monthly salary, is standard. Splurging dough in the tens of thousands of Birr is rarely a surprise.
The establishments have taken note of this demand; they are responding in kind. A night with DJs is only half as profitable as when live performers are hired in some venues. The expenses for the nightclubs are likewise steep. A band usually takes in tens of thousands of Birr, so do solo performers – this is not to include the rewards they get from patrons. Veteran musicians such as Tsegaye Eshetu and Neway Debebe also take the stage, and as they draw in the crowds for the establishments, they get paid five or six times what a newbie could hope to make.
Industry players believe that the newfound interest in live music in nightclubs is pent up energy from the COVID-19 pandemic being released, especially as concerts have largely ceased to exist. They also credit music talent shows such as Balageru Idol and Fana Lamrot. Welcome to the New Year 2014!
You can read the full story here
PUBLISHED ON
Sep 10,2021 [ VOL
22 , NO
1115]
Viewpoints | Sep 10,2022
View From Arada | Dec 04,2020
Editorial | Nov 25,2023
View From Arada | Mar 19,2022
Viewpoints | Mar 27,2021
View From Arada | Nov 21,2020
View From Arada | Jan 31,2021
Covid-19 | Apr 10,2020
Viewpoints | Mar 01,2024
Radar | Dec 24,2022
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transportin...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By MUNIR SHEMSU
The cracks in Ethiopia's higher education system were laid bare during a synthesis re...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Construction authorities have unveiled a price adjustment implementation manual for s...
Jul 13 , 2024
The banking industry is experiencing a transformative period under the oversight of N...
Jul 20 , 2024
In a volatile economic environment, sudden policy reversals leave businesses reeling...
Jul 13 , 2024
Policymakers are walking a tightrope, struggling to generate growth and create millio...
Jul 7 , 2024
The federal budget has crossed a symbolic threshold, approaching the one trillion Bir...
Jun 29 , 2024
In a spirited bid for autonomy, the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), under its younge...