FOR independent musicians, creating a good song is only the beginning. Getting it onto digital platforms, reaching listeners and turning creative talent into a sustainable business can be an entirely different challenge.
Local creative platform ‘Only Make Waves’ is seeking to bridge that gap by combining music distribution with technology, fashion, events and opportunities for creative entrepreneurship.
Founded in 2023 by Msimisi Dlamini, professionally known as Nakiso, and Wandile Mawelela, known as Nocktik, the platform was established to address the difficulties independent creatives face in distributing their work, accessing markets and reaching audiences beyond their immediate communities.
Rather than operating solely as a record label, Only Make Waves has developed a multidisciplinary model that connects creative production with digital distribution, commerce and collaboration.
Its three principal divisions, Only Make Waves Music, Only Make Waves Events and Only Make Waves Merch, provide different avenues for creatives to showcase their work and explore commercial opportunities.
At the centre of this model is the belief that innovation in the creative industry is not only about producing original music or art, but also developing better ways to distribute, market and commercialise it. Nakiso says through Only Make Waves Music, independent musicians can submit singles, extended plays and albums for consideration and potential distribution through supported digital music services.
The process includes preparing release information, artwork, contributor details and relevant rights documentation.
“This structured approach gives artists a pathway to make their music available to listeners beyond the kingdom, while helping them navigate some of the processes involved in releasing music professionally,” he said. The platform’s reach also extends to international creative networks, including collaborations with artists connected to Russia, reflecting its ambition to connect local talent with opportunities beyond national borders.
Connecting music with technology, commerce
ONLY Make Waves’ innovation extends beyond music distribution into the relationship between creative expression and business.
Through Only Make Waves Merch, the company connects artistic identity with physical products, including apparel and accessories.
Its NKS collaboration, involving Nakiso and Indigenous Africana, grew from the idea of creating distinctive caps for music performances into a broader product collaboration. The initiative illustrates how an idea emerging from an artist’s personal needs can develop into a commercial product when creativity meets market interest.
Its Edenlines brand similarly connects merchandise design with nature and conservation, demonstrating how creative products can communicate ideas beyond their practical use.
The company also uses events to bring creatives, entrepreneurs, technologists and audiences together.
One of its initiatives, The Night Cap, combines music and cultural gatherings with opportunities for conversation and connection.
Another, Konnekt, takes a more direct approach to innovation and skills development. Planned as a free conference and workshop platform, it aims to connect creatives, technology enthusiasts, students and businesses through practical learning, expert discussions, networking and product demonstrations.
The initiative is being developed in collaboration with the American Spaces Network in the kingdom, with plans to reach audiences across three regions.
Its programme is intended to explore technology, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and opportunities for collaboration.
Unlike a conventional music event, Konnekt focuses on knowledge exchange and professional development, creating space for participants to share expertise and explore ways to turn ideas into projects and businesses.
Meanwhile, The Hands Up, developed with DJ Expo, focuses on building an online electronic music community through curated DJ sessions and music discovery.
Building a creative ecosystem
THE different initiatives reflect Only Make Waves’ broader approach: connecting the production of creative work with distribution, audiences and commercial opportunities.
“A musician, for example, can release original recordings through the music division, participate in an event and explore a merchandise collaboration. Visual artists and designers can also use the platform’s wider distribution pathways to present their work and explore potential sales,” said Nakiso.
This interconnected model seeks to address a challenge facing independent creatives: talent alone does not guarantee visibility, market access or income.
By bringing different creative disciplines together, the platform is exploring how collaboration can open additional routes for artists to develop professionally and commercially. Its work is supported by partnerships spanning creative development, fashion, audio production and technology, including Made in Eswatini, Human Mastering and Proton Sound System.
As the platform continues to develop its digital offering and expand its events programme, its ambition is to contribute to a creative sector in which independent artists have more ways to distribute their work, reach audiences and build sustainable enterprises.
For the country’s innovation ecosystem, Only Make Waves presents a different perspective on entrepreneurship: one in which music is not merely entertainment, but a starting point for developing technology-enabled services, creative products and business opportunities.
Its longer-term challenge will be to turn these pathways into sustainable opportunities for more local creatives, ensuring that homegrown talent has not only a platform to be heard, but also a stronger route to market.
