European flair for Moshito

A partnership between Moshito and the European Union National Institutes for Culture will bring artists and industry experts to Johannesburg.
PERFORMING artists from Europe will share ideas with locals at this year’s Moshito Music Conference and Exhibition, which is spreading its wings northwards.

Moshito Music Conference and ExhibitionPrevious conferences have included musicians from other African and Caribbean countries, such as Jamaica. This year, the ninth time the annual festival is being held, it is partnering with the European Union National Institutes for Culture (Eunic).

The annual three-day music industry conference takes place from 5 to 7 September at Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown. Once again, there will be discussion groups, free workshops and live performances.

“As one of our major goals is to [have] a sustainable global presence, this partnership is crucial as it allows us access to expertise in the participating countries,” said Moshito’s chairperson, King Phatudi-Mphahlele. “This partnership holds great value for us as a music sector enabling Moshito’s prominence in the African market, as well as extending and consolidating our global footprint.”

Over the years, many Eunic members have supported the conference. This year, they will engage with the conference organisers to identify and invite European participants to form a panel with their African counterparts in the Moshito 2012 programme.

Entrepreneur
Speaking on behalf of Eunic, Wayne Harper said there was already a great deal of interaction between African and European musicians, music industry entrepreneurs and others in the sector.

“We believe that Eunic’s support of the Moshito music conference will extend the opportunities for networking, collaboration and business partnerships between the two regions,” Harper said.

Moshito 2012 will also be aligned to the SA French Season, with collaborations and performances between and with South African and French artists, as well as supporting speakers. In addition, to celebrate Jamaica’s jubilee, Moshito will host some of that country’s most prolific and iconic reggae artists.

It will build on the relationship established with Jamaica in 2011, and the conference will create cultural and business exchanges between South Africa, other African countries and the Caribbean.

Moshito 2012 will also join Reunion’s Indian Ocean Music Market (IOMMA) in an exchange of opportunities between artists and professionals of the Indian Ocean and those from Europe, Australia, America and Asia. A South African delegation will attend the conference in May this year, with Moshito hosting an IOMMA/Reunion Island delegation in September.

Arts and culture
Phatudi-Mphahlele said the Moshito board was determined to keep growing the music industry as a whole and invest knowledge in the people who worked in it.

Each year, Moshito collaborates with the Gauteng provincial government and the Department of Arts and Culture to pull together industry leaders, professionals and artists to talk business, explore opportunities and build relationships.

“As a music conference, we hope to attract more local professionals, and increase the presence of other African delegates and international delegates,” Phatudi-Mphahlele said.

Moshito comes at a time when there is much transformation in the music industry at a global and a domestic level. Factors such as globalisation, mergers and acquisitions, competition from traditionally non-music enterprises, and technological innovation are forcing companies to re-think and re-align their business strategies.

Call for submission papers
Moshito is calling for artists and industry experts to participate in its 2012 programme. This year’s conference will explore:

Socio-economic development, such as social security for artists, the rights and status of artists, performers and composers, policy development, small and medium enterprise development, and skills development;
Industry challenges, such as licensing, piracy, and copyright laws;
New markets, namely exploring a “how to” for our artists and products to energise national, continental, international, digital and performance circuits and linked conferences;
Technology, particularly investigating the latest trends in technology, and honing in on how these can benefit artists, musicians and companies; and
Live music, especially establishing and enhancing performance circuits through festival and live venues for the benefit of musicians.
Papers should be submitted to content@moshito.co.za by 15 June.

Call for artists
This year, the introduction of daytime performances will provide a stage for up and coming bands, while professional evening concerts will take place at a number of venues in Newtown.

A call for submissions to perform has been made to new and professional bands. The closing date for submissions is 30 June. For more information on Moshito Music Conference and Exhibition, visit the event’s website.