Music In Africa AGM to unite global music players in Addis Ababa

18 oct 2016 - 16:21

Published under the Creative Commons Licence

The Music In Africa Foundation takes its Annual General Meeting (AGM) to a different African city every year, bringing influential music industry players from across the globe together to exchange ideas, discover new talent and accelerate the shaping of a vibrant music sector on the continent.

Danielle EOG and Macase were some of the musicians who benefited from last year's AGM. Photo: Music In Africa

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has been selected to host the fourth Music In Africa AGM programme from 10 to 12 November 2016. The one-day formal meeting, attended by the general membership of Music In Africa and invited guests, will be followed by a robust two-day music programme (AGM Plus) packed with complementary initiatives such as panel discussions, networking events and live performances.

Like previous AGMs in Kenya (2013) South Africa (2014) and Cameroon (2015) this event presents big opportunities for both the local industry, as well as regional and international delegates, notably touring opportunities and strong business linkages.

Panel discussions

The panel discussions will for two days bring together stakeholders from the whole music industry value chain (musicians, record label execs, festival organisers, funders, music journalists, distributors and many more) at the Goethe-Institut in Addis Ababa. At least 40 movers and shakers from across the globe will be part of the visiting delegation that will engage with local practitioners.

Topics to look out for include:

• Touring Circuits In Africa – Opportunities And Realities

• Getting To Know Ethiopia’s Underrated Music Scene

• How To Break Into The International Music Scene

• The African Music Sector – Current Trends & Potential

Delegates will come from over 15 countries, representing key businesses, NGOs and events that are active in the sector, such as Womex (Germany / global), Sony Music (Nigeria / global), Bayimba Festival (Uganda), Azgo Festival (Mozambique) SAMRO Foundation (South Africa), ONGEA (Kenya), Sauti za Busara (Zanzibar), KZN Music Imbizo (South Africa), Ketebul Music (Kenya), Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (Kenya), Afropolitan Vibes (Nigeria), Africa Fête (Senegal), Music Crossroads International (Africa and Belgium), Goethe-Institut (global) and Siemens Foundation (Germany).

Re-launch of the Music In Africa website

The AGM Plus programme will also include the unveiling of the new Music In Africa online portal. Launched in 2014, the Music In Africa platform has grown to become the leading source of authoritative information on the African music sector.

The new Music In Africa website will introduce at least 10 big new features, including music and video streaming, a newsfeed (social networking), profile statistics, messaging, a tool to build fan bases, a content recommendation engine, notifications, profile printing options, as well as significant upgrades to user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design.

Showcases and film screening

At least six top bands from East Africa will perform on 11 and 12 November at the Villa Verde Club in Addis Ababa, showcasing their talents to influential music practitioners from different countries. Last year’s main showcase bands, Macase and Danielle EOG from Cameroon, received touring opportunities in Germany this year.

The AGM Plus programme will also mark the first African screening of the critically acclaimed documentary film, Mali Blues. The documentary follows the Malian crisis, as the artists Fatoumata Diawara, Master Soumy and Bassekou Kouyaté tell the story of their country and speak about the role of music during the crisis.

The full list of panelists, discussion speakers and performers will be announced on 25 October.