Classical and jazz performer and multi-award winner Sibongile Khumalo, jazz musicians Concorde Nkabine and Ernie Smith, Afro-Soul artist Judith Sephuma and adult contemporary artist Helena Hettema are the six individuals who represent artists on the POSA Board.

The 11-member board also has an additional five members including CEO Nick Motsatse of the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO). Renowned Afrikaans artist, Coenie de Villiers, joins the board in his capacity as a Non-Executive Director of the SAMRO Board, and POSA’s General Manager and Executive Director, Pfanani Lishivha, is also part of POSA’s Board.

POSA was established to administer Needletime Rights on behalf of SAMRO’s Needletime Rights members who have signed up in this capacity since SAMRO became an accredited Needletime Rights collecting society.

Says POSA’s GM Lishivha, “SAMRO has always had the interests of all South African musicians at heart, but the law has not always allowed us to help those who perform the music as opposed to only those who compose it. We are, therefore, very happy to be able to assist musicians in reaping the full benefits brought about by the introduction of Needletime to South Africa.”

Lishivha is currently talking to South African recording artists and those who work with them – most recently addressing a workshop organised by the Cape Music Industry Commission (Cape MIC).

“Needletime will generate a second income stream for composer/performers and it’s a benefit for performers,” Lishivha said at the workshop. “Under the previous royalty structure, SAMRO (Southern African Music Rights Organisation) paid royalties for composers and publishers, but with Needletime, there is an additional benefit for performers,” he added

Dodo Monamudi- Chairperson of AIRCO

Says AIRCO chairperson, Dodo Monamodi, “We are energised, ready to go and are confident of delivering on our mandate to independent record companies as we head in to 2010.”

Monamodi heads a board that also includes an impressive list of music industry veterans, innovators and highly skilled players. He is joined by Caroline Sithole (Skills Development), Mandla Maseko (Marketing & Communications), Ken Haycock (Broadcast), Roach Hilton (Website/Digital), Ashley Stone (Anti Piracy), Itumeleng Radebe (Local Content), Harvey Roberts (International Affairs), Dan Raseluma (Business Affairs), Jonathan Shaw (Legal & Risk), Antos Stella (Sponsorship) and George Lusenga (Transformation).

As part of AIRCO’s newly invigorated approach, the organisation has relocated from Melville to the Downtown Studios building in the Johannesburg CBD. “We fully support the Department of Arts and Culture’s Downtown Music Hub project launched by the former Minister of Arts and Culture in April this year and we look forward to being at the heart of this valuable initiative,” comments Monamodi.

AIRCO is not wasting time in getting down to brass tacks.

One of its first projects falls under its Skills Development Portfolio and consists of a Skills Development Workshop taking place on November 26^th at Downtown Studios.

The one-day workshop will focus on the music business for independent record labels and music entrepreneurship and is the first in a planned series of seminars that will cover strategies for the business, legal, and technological issues affecting record companies and music publishing.

Another important focus at the moment is AIRCO’s presence at MIDEM 2010, where South Africa has been chosen as the country of honour. Taking its impetus from the support of the Department of Arts and Culture for South Africa’s presence at MIDEM 2010 (which forms part of its strategy for export growth in the music sector), AIRCO has approached the Department of Trade and Industries (DTI) for financial assistance for emerging companies to be part of the export initiative at MIDEM in 2010. The DTI subsequently requested AIRCO submit a full application on behalf of eligible local emerging companies and 20 potential candidates are currently under consideration for financial assistance.

As part of its ongoing work, AIRCO’s recent Board meeting identified strategic areas of focus for the organisation.

These include copyright (to assist in the exploitation of copyrights created and owned by South African independent record companies), Fair Trade (to achieve commercial terms on par with the major record companies), new technology, legislation (AIRCO will represent its member’s interests in government and legislative issues), manufacturing, international (AIRCO will join the growing international movement that recognises the economic and functional importance of independent record companies, and of the record industry overall), market access, and cultural identity.

Says Monamodi, “We are proud to be independent! Altogether we represent nearly 30% of South African music sales and 60% of South African music releases while dominating certain niche markets. We have faced our fair share of organisational challenges, but have a strong board that is committed to ensuring AIRCO becomes a force to be reckoned with within the South African and international music industries.”

Twelve semi-finalists competed at UNISA’s ZK Matthews Hall for a shot at the two attractive scholarships on offer, and following a gruelling day of performances the adjudicators selected two finalists in each category.
They are:
* Jazz/Popular Music: André Petersen and Bokani Dyer
* Western Art Music: Olga Rademan and Gareth Ross
SAMRO Endowment’s Overseas Scholarships Competition has launched the career of many a local music star since its inception in 1962. Each scholarship, worth R160 000 (plus a R10 000 travel allowance), will enable the winner to study music at postgraduate level at a recognised international tertiary institution.
Limited seats are available for Saturday’s gala evening at UNISA’s ZK Matthews Hall, and ticket enquiries may be directed to Alpha Mampane at 011 712 8000 or alpha.mampane@samro.org.za.

Jenson will bring his unique insights as assistant professor of piano at Berklee College of Music in Boston as well as his hugely popular performance studies class ‘The Music and Life of Bob Marley’ and his own music experience to Moshito.

Jenson will take part in the discussion around opportunities for South African music in the US.

A pianist, Hammond organist, composer, arranger, singer and educator, Jenson earned a Masters degree in Jazz Composition and performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston (1991) before pursuing his talent for soul, blues and rock influenced piano and Hammond organ, working with such greats as Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters, legendary R&B singer Johnny Adams, Mighty Sam McClain, Cyril Lance, Johnny Neel, and Julien Kasper.

Read the rest of the article on the Moshito website.

Tripp, a 35 year music industry veteran is an Australian entrepreneur and American expat and will show success of far flung music territories of Australia, New Zealand and Hawai’i whose government trade and economic development arms have embraced and empowered contemporary music as a renewable export resource. South Africa is poised as the ‘next new thing’ and a talent hub for the continent.

Read the rest of the article on MIO

Boasting some of SA’s hottest bands including Freshlyground, aKING, 340ml, Gang of Instrumentals and even more exciting up and coming bands. Rocking the Gardens will offer Johannesburg the best in live entertainment, lifestyle exhibitions and gourmet food.

Taking a leaf from Rocking the Daisies, South Africa’s premier eco-friendly music and lifestyle festival, Rocking the Gardens too will be ‘green’. By partnering with Food and Trees for Africa, and other leading NGO’s, the event will continue to spread the ‘play hard, tread lightly’ message in the Northern regions of South Africa.

Date: 3 October 2009
Venue: Emmarentia Dam, Johannesburg Botanical Gardens
Gates open: 12:00
Official website: www.rockingthegardens.com

via MIO

Locally, the most recent new online launch is the Nokia Music Store, if you want to sell your music here then you need to chat to them directly:

Website // Twitter

The best recommended approach is to find an existing service that is used by your target market, and liaise with them to get your music onto that service. Setting up your own service from scratch would be quite a challenge.

More specifically, here are some potentially useful Web resources on how to publish your music on-line (these links are not specifically endorsed by SAMRO but for your information only.)

•    TuneCore
•    Music Biz Academy - Sell Online #1
•    Music Biz Academy - Sell Online #2
•    eHow - Distribute Music Online
•    eHow - Music Distribution Online

You may wonder, as a reader, as to what business is there to talk about in music? Like a diamond, music has a number of dimensions depending on how you look at it. Each of these dimensions has its own beauty and sparkle that sometimes requires whole publications devoted to them.

The majority of us, including the very people who create the music such as composers and performers, appreciate music for the entertainment value in it. After all what is a party without some good music? When at home after a long hard day at the office, what better way than to sit with a glass of your favourite drink and sip it to the tempo of your favourite tune? How about creating just the right mood in the company of your favourite person?

This, however, is not all that music offers. Music is also an art form. It is an expression of the inner sentiment of the creator or artist at a point in time. It gives a certain perspective on life and allows us to view the world through the eyes of someone else. Like any other art form, different people appreciate different styles and presentations of music. There are those who appreciate art at a superficial level and there are those who are so into it that they can almost tell you what the creator of the piece of art had in mind. The same applies to the world of music – we all appreciate it to varying levels.

Not only is music a must for entertainment or an important art form, it is also an expression of culture. It is an expression of culture either in its primitive and unadulterated form or in its evolved and diluted form. I believe I shall not be exaggerating if I say that music is the second most important identifier of culture after language. There is Scottish music, Ndebele music, the sixties’ music, music of the Middle Ages and Baroque music. Each of these ‘musics’ either represents the culture of the people of a certain nationality or the culture that was prevalent at a certain time in history.

There are other less well known dimensions of music such as the therapeutic characteristics of certain types of music. In 2001 Madacy Entertainment Group, a leading independent North American music label entered into an agreement with Coty Inc., one of the leading manufacturers of beauty care products to produce and distribute a line of therapeutic CD’s under the label, Healing Garden. There is also the effect of music on unborn babies or foetuses … I have heard some interesting stories in this regard.

The most important dimension of music however, tends to be the one that escapes a lot of people’s attention. Music, at the end of the day, is a business with a significant economic value. Let us think about it for a moment. Music is all the things we mentioned earlier, and more. It is an industry. As an industry it provides employment, attracts investments, pays taxes, develops infrastructure, facilitates import and export opportunities, builds careers and has to keep growing in order to stay alive.

Impact of Music

‘Assets and liabilities’… By just opening with this phrase you can tell that I mean business. Why? Because that is typical business, or shall we say Accountants’ speak. The whole concept of the Balance Sheet is based on making sure that the liabilities in the business do balance with the assets.

Well, I have no intention of writing an article on Accounting 101, nor am I qualified to do so. I however have an intention of writing about music as one of the important assets in most, if not all, businesses. An asset can be described as anything that is used in order to create or add value in a business. The total value of the business is determined by the total value of the assets. Of course you have to take out the liabilities, simply because that portion of the value belongs to someone else in whose books you an asset.

A valuable business uses its assets in a way that attracts customers and gives them a reason to be loyal to the business. Music plays an important role in this.

The level of importance does, of course, vary from one type of business to the other. Can you imagine a night club without music? What would festive shopping be like without the music? Walking through the shopping complex without “Joy to the World” or “Silent Night” beaming in the background? Does the music played at your favourite restaurant affect you in any way?

A number of studies have been undertaken throughout the world, mainly by Societies involved in the collective administration and management of copyright in music, in order to establish facts in this regard. All of these studies have conclusively proven that music has a definite impact on consumer behaviour. Well, we knew this, didn’t we? But then how do we maximise the benefits derived from the use of this asset in a business?

A restaurateur does not only serve a meal that he or she likes or that he or she feels like on that day. They develop a menu based on the full understanding of their customers’ preferences. Should this not be the case with music? Playing the music that only appeals to the business owner and does not take into consideration the customers can be counterproductive. Similarly, playing the music that is planned at Head Office without taking local tastes into consideration may not produce the desired results. So if you are to invest in this important asset, which by the way you should, you will be well advised to ensure that it shows the returns.

By carefully planning the music that is played in business carefully, the owner or manager can influence buyer behaviour in such way as to achieve business objectives for a particular day, month or year. He or she can draw customers to specific sections of the shop, change the pace of in-store browsing, create demand for a certain type of merchandise and the list goes on. The selection of the music played is therefore as much of a business decision as deciding what merchandise should be sold and what packaging and merchandising techniques should be used.

I bet all this sounds like common sense, but what music are you playing right now as you read this article? Who influenced the choice?