ACCES 2021 music conference set for Johannesburg in November

The 2021 edition of the pan-African trade event was scheduled for Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, but has been moved for logistical reasons in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The MIAF says that this year’s event will take a hybrid format involving both digital and in-person programming. ACCES 2022 will be held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Africa’s leading trade event

ACCES has stamped its authority as Africa’s leading music trade event. At the 2019 edition in Accra, the conference brought together more than 1 200 delegates from about 50 countries on the continent and beyond. The conference also hosted 76 showcasing artists from Africa and the diaspora, who got to perform for an influential audience at two top live venues in the Ghanaian capital.

Apart from live showcases, the event features panel discussions, presentations, exhibitions, pitch sessions, Q&A sessions with prominent musicians and visits to key music industry hubs in the host city. Many of these activities will be planned for ACCES 2021, with the ACCES team already exploring a tailor-made programme that will cater for the specific needs of the local music industry amid the pandemic.

Artists are invited to showcase

Musicians will soon be invited to apply for a chance to showcase their work to influential professionals in November. The MIAF will employ its existing curation committee to select the musical artists who will showcase at ACCES 2021, as well as advise on the broader ACCES programme. The six-member committee comprises leading music industry players from across the African continent, including producer and MIAF director Eddie Hatitye (South Africa), musician Kyekyeku (Ghana), the founder and CEO of music production company Black Major, Sevi Spanoudi (South Africa), Sauti za Busara festival organiser and MIAF chairperson Yusuf Mahmoud (Tanzania), Ongala Music Festival founder Aziza Ongala (Tanzania), and media practitioner and former MIAF chairperson Maimouna Dambele (Senegal).

ACCES was previously held in Dakar (Senegal, 2017), Nairobi (Kenya, 2018) and Accra (Ghana, 2019) and is widely regarded as Africa’s leading music conference where music professionals from around the world meet to exchange ideas, discover new talent and create business linkages. This year’s programming will be presented digitally through live-streamed showcases as well as online presentations, workshops, networking sessions, exhibitions and panel discussions featuring publishers, label executives, A&R managers, artists, producers and tech entrepreneurs – among other leading international music professionals.

Meanwhile, the MIAF has partnered with Reeperbahn Festival International to organise a four-day, pan-African programme that will serve as a comprehensive meeting point for key players operating in the European and African music industries. The B2B event, titled Reeperbahn Festival International Pan-Africa will take place from 31 May to June 3 and feature networking, panel discussions, keynote addresses, insightful digital company visits, matchmaking sessions and a hybrid showcase experience with European and African artists. The event is a continuation of a reciprocal partnership between the MIAF and Reeperbahn Festival International.

ACCES is organised by the Music In Africa Foundation, a non-profit and pan-African organisation, in partnership with Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut. For more information about the conference, visit the official ACCES website. Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to our monthly newsletter.