BalconyTV Johannesburg turns five

Over the five years of its existence, BalconyTV Johannesburg has hosted some of the country’s biggest names in music with over 300 performances and 12 events attended by over 6,000 people.

As part of the celebrations, there will be two BalconyTV live events from 3 – 4 February. Celebrations will kick off with performances by local rock bands such as Shortstraw and Friends, The Motherland & Friends and celebrated songwriter Josh Kempen.

Josh Kempen, who has performed on Balcony TV before, has recently attracted buzz and was nominated by SAMRO as Songwriter of the Year. Also on the lineup are We Are Charlie, Go Barefoot and Johnny Cradle.

“When I started BalconyTV Johannesburg five years ago,” said producer and founder of BalconyTV Johannesburg Julian von Plato, “I just wanted to shoot cool videos for artists. Over the last five years, it has grown so much and thanks to our partners like Marshall Music and Hunters. Seeing the success of videos such as Jeremy Loops and Medicine Boy has made it so worthwhile that now it is really a platform for artists to get noticed and discovered internationally.”

BalconyTV was founded in June 2006 by three Dublin flat mates who had the simple idea to film local artists on their apartment balcony and post the videos to YouTube. Today BalconyTV is produced in over 50 cities and locations around the world by a dedicated music loving network of producers.

BalconyTV gives local and upcoming artists a unique global platform. Major artists who have featured on BalconyTV before they were famous include Ed Sheeran, Mumford and Sons, The Script, Jessie J and more. The outfit has been recognized by the Webby Awards and Lovie Awards and featured in news media around the world.