ACCES gearing up for second Dar es Salaam edition in 2023

16 Mar 2023 - 17:54

After holding a successful trade show in Dar es Salaam last year, the Music In Africa Conference for Collaborations, Exchange and Showcases (ACCES) will make its return to the Tanzanian city in November 2023.

A panel discussion during ACCES 2022. Photo: @jozeyphotography

ACCES, which is traditionally held in a different African city every year, will aim to bolster the impact it made on the East African music industries in 2022 by holding a second Tanzania edition at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre on 9, 10, 11 November.

The decision to hold the conference in the East African country in two consecutive years stems from a new sustainability model that is based on creating even more opportunities for local music professionals. This will allow participants to strengthen already existing partnerships and act as a strong catalyst for robust engagement.

“We are really excited to go back to Tanzanian for a second edition of ACCES,” Music In Africa Foundation director Eddie Hatitye said. “Organising ACCES in the same city in a short space of time means that we can build on the momentum of the 2022 edition and take the event to new heights – giving the local music industry the platform it needs to develop itself further while engaging with important music players from abroad. We invite everyone to join us in Dar es Salaam for what promises to be the biggest ACCES to date.”

ACCES is known for curating an inclusive and valuable programme for players in the African music industry to meet, exchange and discover new talent. It is aimed at fostering partnerships and new business connections between industry professionals such as artists, talent managers, festival organisers, record label executives, digital distributors and media practitioners.

The 2022 edition featured a strong programme of conference presentations, panel discussions, live performances, workshops, networking activities, exhibitions and awards. It drew together a strong cohort of influential players and prominent companies like Spotify, Ditto Music, Universal Music, Sheer Publishing and Electromode, among many others.

It also brought 14 musical acts and a total of 70 individual artists for its showcase programme, who performed in front of international talent buyers and record label representatives.

An open call has been published on the official website for African musicians to apply to perform at the upcoming ACCES in Dar es Salaam.

More about ACCES

Organised by the Music In Africa Foundation, ACCES is a pan-African trade show for music industry players to exchange ideas, discover new talent and create business linkages. The pan-African music conference has taken place in Dakar, Senegal (2017), Nairobi, Kenya (2018), Accra, Ghana (2019) Johannesburg, South Africa (2021) and Dar es Salaam, Tanzanian (2022). ACCES 2023 will be held in partnership with Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut. More partners will be announced soon.

Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to our monthly newsletter.