Rolling Stone bets on South African music滾石雜誌跨足南非 看好當地音樂市場

輯譯/黃裕美 |2012.03.04
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輯譯/黃裕美

Renowned jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela and heavy metal in Botswana feature in Rolling Stone's take on music in its new South African edition, which hopes to fill a conspicuously empty niche.

新發行的南非版《滾石雜誌》,專文報導了知名爵士樂小號手馬沙卡拉和波扎那重金屬樂壇,該刊希望填補當地樂界顯然有利可圖的缺口。

The American title launched its latest international edition in South Africa in November, tackling a crowded media market that has not yet cashed in on the country's rich musical heritage spanning rock to pop and jazz.

這份美國刊物去年11月在南非推出最新的國際版,主要著眼於當地媒體市場雖百花齊放,但迄未善用南非橫跨搖滾、流行樂和爵士樂這豐沛的音樂傳統賺錢。

“Obviously Rolling Stone would be associated with rock but it is more an attitude,” said editor Miles Keylock.

「顯然《滾石雜誌》立刻令人聯想到搖滾樂,但它更是一種表態。」總編輯基洛克說。

The monthly's first cover profiled Masekela, a 72-year-old jazz musician who campaigned against white-minority rule while living in exile. An ex-husband of late diva Miriam Makeba, his lifetime of sex, booze and cocaine perhaps warrant inclusion in the pantheon of rock.

這份月刊第一期封面人物,是72歲的爵士樂大師馬沙卡拉,他流亡海外時曾大力鼓吹反對白人少數統治。他也是已故南非傳奇女伶米莉安.瑪克巴的前夫,文中對他躋身搖滾名人堂及酒色毒品的一生多所著墨。

The magazine also hopes to entice readers with exposes on local rock band Blk Jks, on its way to record in the Malian capital Bamako; rising Afro-pop star Zahara; and Afrikaans-language punk rocker Francois van Coke.

為了吸引讀者,該刊還報導正要前往馬里首府巴馬科錄製唱片的知名本土樂團Blk Jks,以及人氣扶搖直上的非裔流行歌星扎哈拉,和以南非荷語演唱的龐克搖滾歌手弗朗索瓦凡柯克。

Keylock is coy over sales figures, but said they “had a very amazing response in some metropolitan areas; they sold out on the first day.”

基洛克對行銷數字欲言又止,只說他們「在都會區得到非常驚人的回響,第一天就銷售一空。」

The initial print run was about 30,000 copies, with a cover price of 34.95 rands ($4.30, 3.20 euro) -- a healthy run for South Africa but a minnow compared to the parent publication, which puts out 1.45 million copies every two weeks.

第一期印量約3萬本,每本售價34.95蘭特(約台幣127元),在南非已相當可觀,但和每兩周印行145萬份的母刊相比有如小巫見大巫。

Keylock, a former music critic at the country's respected Mail & Guardian weekly, plans to break even within six months.

基洛克原是南非備受尊重的主流刊物《郵政衛報》周刊樂評家,他計畫在6個月內損益平衡。

“It's true, there is an uncertainty. This is not one more magazine but a different kind of journalism, a style, a way to speak with the readers,” says Keylock.

基洛克說,「的確,仍有不確定性,畢竟這不只是再出版一本雜誌,而是不同類型的刊物,一種風格,一種可以和讀者對話的方式。」

American and British influences have swept South Africa since the 19th century, fusing into colorful mixtures of style in Africa's largest economy. But white-minority rule suppressed urban black culture, and artists looked to foreign countries for recognition.

19世紀以來,英美兩國的影響力橫掃南非,在非洲這個最大經濟體中,注入多采多姿的混合風格。但白人少數統治壓制城市的黑人文化,藝術家轉而尋求外國認可。

“Of course, the newspapers had a jazz section, the Sowetan, the Star but there was no dedicated one,” said veteran music producer Rashid Vally, 72.

資深音樂製作人、72歲的拉希德.瓦利說:「當然,像《索威托人報》和《星報》等本地報紙總會闢個爵士樂專欄,但迄今未出版任何流行樂專刊。」

Even jazz musician Abdullah Ibrahim, also known as Dollar Brand, who enjoyed global success with his mellow tune "Mannenberg" in 1974, had to make peace with the relative lack of publicity back home.

就連爵士樂大師、外號「美元品牌」的易卜拉欣,雖然他在1974年以醇厚的經典歌曲「曼恩伯格」享譽全球,也不得不面對國內相對知名度不高的事實。

“In-depth articles would appear only overseas, and here they would ask about when you're born and so on,” said Vally, who produced the song.

負責製作這首歌曲的瓦利說:「有深度的文章只會在海外出現,在這裡,他們只會問你什麼時候出生等無聊的問題。」

A poor reading culture and the global economic crisis saw many local South African titles close down as advertising dried up in recent years.

不良的閱讀文化和全球經濟危機,近年來因拉不到廣告,迫使南非當地無數刊物停刊。

But that hasn't deterred international names like Forbes, Top Gear and Playboy from entering the South African market.

但那仍擋不住《富比世》、《極速對決》和《花花公子》等國際知名媒體紛紛進軍南非市場。

“There is a place, a niche,” said American academic David Coplan, whose book“In Township Tonight!” is considered the authority on black South African music. But he added: “Maybe there is nothing up to now because there is no market.”

美國學者柯普蘭的著作《今晚,在黑人小鎮!》(暫譯)公認是南非黑人音樂權威。他說,「的確有個發展空間,也有個利基。」但他補充說:「由於沒什麼市場,說不定目前還無利可圖。」

“Here in South Africa, we don't expect to read about music. Good jazz commentary is common in Paris or New York but unknown here,” he said.

他說:「在南非這裡,我們並不預期大家會去讀音樂方面的刊物。高水平爵士樂評在巴黎或紐約司空見慣,但在這裡仍是未知數。」

Johnny Clegg, known for bringing African rhythms to a global audience, said he hopes that will change.“We need a national platform to expose and promote all forms of South African music,” he said.

強尼.克萊格以引介非洲音樂給全球聽眾而知名,他表示,希望這種情況會改變。他說,「我們需要一個全國性平台,以報導和推廣形形色色的南非音樂。」



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