Africori boss to lead music distribution talk at ACCES 2018

The presentation will focus on successful distribution strategies and the online business models available to African artists.

Kenan told Music In Africa that it was of paramount importance for artists, industry professionals and music entrepreneurs to attend ACCES.

“ACCES is an amazing opportunity to connect with leading experts in many fields of the industry,” he said. “Lack of education and access to information is one of the key issues for our industry in Africa.

“An event like ACCES can lead to new opportunities, such as connecting with agents in Europe, festival bookers, digital distributors and possibly record labels. It can give the extra boost that an artist or label needs. It is very important to meet industry people and meeting hundreds of people in one place is a unique opportunity.”

Kenan also spoke about the subject he would present at ACCES. “Digital music revenues now represent the largest revenue stream for artists and labels worldwide. One needs to better understand how to market and promote music in a streaming environment.

“Understanding the various models that currently exist will allow artists to focus their efforts in this new environment. Digital distribution also offers opportunities to reach new fans internationally, and learning about those opportunities will give you the extra edge.”

Kenan says the distribution space on the continent is challenging for operations like Africori, which is constantly aligning itself to cater for growing demand.

“We have encountered many challenges during the past six years," he said. "Travelling extensively across the continent allowed us to meet, listen and understand the challenges of local artists and labels. Today, our key challenge comes from the lack of structure of the industry in the region. Too many releases are being launched at the last minute.

“We are continuously looking at adding more tech and staff to help us with the new opportunities that are available to African musicians worldwide. Our dashboard offers access to daily streaming information and we are adding more marketing tools to support each release. Most importantly, unlike most of the other digital distributors, we work with a limited number of clients in order to deliver hands-on support.”

Kenan's presentation starts at 10.30am at the Kenya National Theatre on 17 November.

About ACCES

ACCES is a pan-African event for music industry players to exchange ideas, discover new talent and create business linkages. ACCES is held in a different African city every year, attracting active music industry players from across the globe.

ACCES is organised by the Music In Africa Foundation, a non-profit and pan-African organisation, in partnership with Siemens Stiftung, Goethe-Institut, Alliance Francaise, Kenya’s Permanent Presidential Music Commission (PPMC), MagicalKenya and the Kenya Cultural Centre. 

For more information, including registration and sponsorship opportunities, visit the ACCES website or download the ACCES 2018 brochure here.