Making it in music

Moshito will examine how the music industry works, and taking your career international, with talks by a variety of global experts. And then there’ll be the performances.
LOCAL and international producers, songwriters, record label executives, artists and the like are expected to attend Moshito, which opens with a keynote address by the Academy Award winning songwriter, Jimmy Griffin.

Moshito“The keynote address sets the scene for three-days of intense discussion, debating and presentations aimed at stimulating the South African music industry and empowering participants in it to operate at capacity, both domestically and abroad,” says Ayob Vania from JT Communication Solutions, the publicists of Moshito.

The conference and exhibition is designed to broaden the business acumen of people in the music industry and strengthen their business networks. It runs for three days at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown, from 31 August to 2 September.

Vania says this year’s conference is aimed at imparting music business skills and knowledge to participants and showcasing live music. There will be a mini-film festival themed around music and an exhibition of products and services.

Griffin is known for co-founding the US soft rock hit-makers, Bread. He will speak after the director-general of arts and culture, Sibusiso Xaba, has presided over the opening ceremony. His topic is “Marshall McLuhan was right: the medium is the message” and he will focus on McLuhan’s legacy of accurate predictions and warnings about the future of media and what lessons are there to learn.

“Moshito 2011 is set to give delegates a broad view of the music industry landscape,” Vania notes.

Touring America
Day two will look at Colombia’s cultural policy and the importance of African descent in Colombia. The last day of the conference will focus on how to start a music career overseas: “Touring North America – touring the US and Canada” will be presented by Daniel Brooks, the founder of the Canadian The International Tour and Tech Academy.

“Delegates wanting to plug directly into current trends in the global music industry have plenty to choose from at Moshito 2011,” Vania says.

Activities and talks on day one, including plenary and breakaway sessions, will be followed by an evening of live performances from cross-cultural artists at the Bassline.

On the bill is Colombia’s five-piece band Sidestepper Sound System, SAMA-award winner Nomsa Mazwai, Spain’s Luis Giménez and four-piece band Toguna from Reunion. Tickets for the concert are R80 a head.

“The concert gives Gauteng-based music fans of global music every reason to get to the Bassline for this once-off line-up of superb artists,” says Vania.

Moshito Presents
Called Moshito Presents, Vania says the concert will be an explosive and uplifting celebration of the limitless power of music. “Extending far beyond its initial fusion of classic salsa and club beats, Sidestepper’s music takes in everything from deep Colombian folk influences to hip-hop via cumbia, dancehall reggae, dub and Afrobeat, layering infectious melodies and crisp harmonies on top of rock solid beats,” he explains.

“Mazwai’s sound is a blend of jazz, Afrocentric, drum ‘n bass, electronic and neo soul all presented by an artist who is also an engaged activist and Fulbright scholar,” Vania notes.

This is the eighth annual Moshito music conference and exhibition. Topical issues on the agenda include the digital aspect of the global music business at 2pm on day one; emerging markets, the future of digital music in Africa at 3.15pm on day one; women and leadership; the growth of a viable pan-African festival circuit; and an examination of local broadcast content and compliance with the UN Convention on Cultural Diversity.

Other topics are piracy and social security, entrepreneurship, live music, industry basics, challenges and technology. “Those looking for inspiration will want to catch a session titled ‘South Africans who changed the world of music’, where music industry veteran Ivor Haarburger will be joined by Sheldon Leal, director of music at Southdowns College, to talk about individuals who have made an impact on the global music industry over the decades,” Vania says.

There will be about 52 topics, more than 30 panel discussions, information sessions and workshops and over 100 speakers. Specialists from South Africa, the rest of the continent, the US, Spain, Canada, Indonesia, Colombia and several other countries have been booked to talk.

Moshito is endorsed and sponsored by the City of Johannesburg and the national Department of Arts and Culture, as well as Johannesburg Arts Alive International Festival and the National Arts Council, among other local and international organisations. It is organised in partnership with the Gauteng provincial department of sport, arts, culture and recreation.

Log on to the Moshito website for a full programme and to register.