SA: The Music Imbizo unveils 2019 programme

The music industry trade event, which is in its 11th edition, will run under the theme Governing the Music Industry. Whose Business is it Anyway? It will focus on ownership, streaming, royalty collection, copyright law, public relations, management and publishing.

Confirmed artists include Ssue & the Ananse Band (Ghana), Siti and the Band (Kenya), Naimah (Zambia), Bekezela (Zimbabwe), Kemit (Senegal) and Koo Ntakra (Ghana). They will be joined by South African muicians Shwi Nomtekhala, Amageza Amahle, Colours of Sound, Lizwi, Shack, Ras (Real African Seed), Mnqobi Yazo, Beast and Gigi Lamayne. 

The Music Imbizo will also feature roundtable discussions, new music listening sessions, video pitching sessions, film scoring, sound design workshops and beat battles.

“The idea behind The Music Imbizo is always to be inclusive and talk to the theme,” Music Imbizo founder Sphe Mbele told Music In Africa. “Our theme will always guide the topics. Our theme for this year concentrates on governance and the running of the music business within the continent. Who does what? Where? How are we doing as a collective? Ownership has become a recurring theme as we look to define its concept within the music industry.

“The theme was inspired by discussions that came out at last year’s conference and the need to map out and understand the core music business in the forever changing environment. Almost everyone is now a player in the music industry, in one way or another, and the creator is always the last to benefit or gets much less for the creation.”

Mbele says this year's conference is aimed at allowing “a space for different ideas to be heard, encourage collaboration and encourage the participation of the government in the creative sector.”

He says delegates should expect a “packed programme with everything for everyone in the value chain."

Confirmed speakers include Candice Pillay (artist, US/SA), Thabiso Khati (Universal Music Group, South Africa), Semulema Daniel (East Africa Records, Uganda), Holdbrook Smith Henry (Scratch Studios, Ghana), Slikour (Skwatta Kamp, South Africa), Nota Baloyi (The Orchard, South Africa), Pule Makoa (Content Connect Africa, South Africa) and Thibaut Mullings (Idol, France).

They will be joined by Asia Mashapa (The Godfathers of Deep House, South Africa), Kirstin Moffatt (BMAT, Spain), Karabo Senna (SAMRO, South Africa), Wiseman Qinani Ngubo (CAPASSO, South Africa), Wendy Verwey Bekker (Ditto, South Africa), Nhlanhla Sibisi (RiSA, South Africa) and Jerome Galabert (Sakifo Records, Reunion), among others.

The programme will include topics such as Ownership in the Music Business – the African Context, The Centre is Moving ... The Artist Perspective, To Infinity and Beyond! Deal Breaking – The Art of Negotiating, Unpacking (the African) Identity in Popular Culture, Crossing Borders: How Do We Improve Intra-African Trade and Trading to Other Continents, Government Champions: The Need For Cultural and Creative Industry Champions Within Our Governments and To Infinity and Beyond! 

SAMRO, CAPASSO and IMPRA will host exibitions and conduct free one-on-one meetings, workshops on performing rights, mechanical rights and needletime rights.

Visit The Music Imbizo official website for a the programme. Tickets to the event are available here.