Musician Bebe Cool, real name Moses Ssali, has shared his candid views on the growing trend of Ugandan artists holding concerts at Kololo Airstrip, now regarded as one of the country’s biggest venues for music shows.
According to Bebe Cool, while artists who perform at Kololo attract thousands of revelers, the numbers do not necessarily translate into meaningful profits because of the huge costs involved in staging concerts at the venue.
He explained that an artist charging Shs20,000 per ticket may appear to be making substantial money when thousands of fans turn up, but expenses such as venue hire, advertising, production and payments to organizers and other service providers can quickly consume the revenue.
“I know they don’t make money, surely. Because it doesn’t make any sense having 20,000 people paying Shs20k and you’re getting Shs400m–Shs500m after spending Shs200m–Shs300m. They don’t make money,” Bebe Cool said.
The veteran musician revealed that he was among the first Ugandan artists to stage a major show at Kololo and also one of the first to embrace Serena Hotel after foreign acts had popularized the venue.
“I was among the first artists to do shows in Kololo and the first artist to do [a show] at Serena after the foreign artists were doing Serena with Mayanja. To me, it has nothing. I am happy when I see this going on. I mean, that’s where I want the sector to go. Guys should be confident,” he noted.
However, Bebe Cool advised young musicians not to feel pressured into booking expensive venues simply to prove their popularity.
He recalled his own experience at Kyadondo Rugby Grounds, where he could attract between 10,000 and 15,000 revelers but still struggled to make substantial money.
“To the young artists, I would want them to be clever or learn that there is no need for them to go for these venues. There is no need for them to prove. That’s why I left Kyadondo and went to Serena at that time. I was getting 10k to 15k people at Kyadondo, but after one week, I was always broke,” he said.
Bebe Cool explained that he later adopted a different business model by focusing on premium ticketing and tables rather than simply chasing large crowds.
“I organized into tables and got 2,000 people at Serena but saved Shs150m after the show. In Kyadondo, I got 15k people and saved the most money, Shs28m, that I remember Balaam paying me,” he recalled.
The ‘Gagamel’ boss argued that musicians need to embrace the idea of economic transformation by treating their music careers as businesses rather than merely competing over crowd numbers.
“Musicians should get into what the president is always talking about, economic transformation,” he said.
Bebe Cool also questioned the continued reliance on low ticket prices, arguing that artists cannot build sustainable businesses if they keep charging as little as Shs20,000 for major concerts.
“I’ve never done a show of Shs30k or Shs50k and guys are still holding shows of Shs20k. When will you ever make money?” he asked.
Bebe Cool advises young artists to prioritise profit over crowd numbers
“I was among the first artists to stage concerts at Kololo and Serena. I’m happy when I see artists pulling big numbers, but I know many of these shows don't actually make money.
Young artists, there is no… pic.twitter.com/3xVLXa6lI3— Kelele.Ug (@Kelele_ug) September 1, 2026
