Joel Joseph: Reinventing Tanzania’s music scene from stage to strategy

Born Joel Vicent Joseph, he entered the music scene in the early 2000s as a recording artist, during a period when Tanzania’s popular music sector was still largely informal. With limited institutional support, artists were often required to manage their own production, promotion and distribution. Reflecting on those early years, Joseph noted that “when there were no clear systems, artists had to learn both the creative and business sides of music at the same time”.

These conditions shaped his understanding of the commercial realities underpinning artistic success, particularly the importance of adaptability in emerging creative economies.

Joseph later transitioned into artist management, expanding his role within the industry. He worked with several established Tanzanian artists, including Shetta and Nedy Music, before gaining wider recognition through his appointment as artist manager for Harmonize. The role, undertaken during Harmonize’s time at WCB Wasafi, marked a significant shift in Joseph’s career.

WCB Wasafi is among East Africa’s most prominent record labels, operating within a highly structured and media-driven environment. Joseph’s position exposed him to large-scale music operations, including brand development, release planning and cross-border market exposure. “Working within WCB Wasafi showed me how systems, media, and structure can amplify an artist’s reach far beyond local boundaries,” he said.

This period coincided with the broader professionalisation of artist management across Africa, as leading musicians increasingly relied on formal teams to navigate regional and global markets. Within this context, Joseph was frequently mentioned alongside a new generation of African music managers such as Asa Asika, Babu Tale, Sunday Are and Ubi Franklin, comparisons that situated his work within a wider continental conversation about modern music management, rather than equating scale or commercial reach.

Despite increased visibility, Joseph’s career did not remain anchored within major-label structures. Over time, he reassessed his role within centralised systems and gradually stepped away from frontline management. “Stepping back was not about leaving the industry, but about creating space to rethink my long-term direction,” he explained.

Following this shift, Joseph returned his focus to independent creative work. Through Puaz Music Records, a label he founded as part of a broader entrepreneurial move, he resumed music-making under his own imprint. Operating outside traditional major-label frameworks, he released several tracks, including ‘Party La Leo’ and ‘Rise & Shine’, followed by the extended play Afro Jungle. He described this period as one defined by greater control over creative output and release strategy, informed by his earlier experience in artist management.

Rather than signalling withdrawal from the industry, the move highlighted a broader transformation. By combining managerial experience with renewed artistic output, Joseph represents a hybrid professional model increasingly visible across African music markets, where individuals move fluidly between creative expression and organisational leadership.

Joseph’s journey, from artist to manager and back to independent musician, illustrates the non-linear nature of careers in emerging creative industries. His relevance lies less in individual chart successes or institutional affiliations than in sustained engagement across multiple layers of the music ecosystem, balancing artistic practice with strategic insight.