Call for applications: Music Business Academy for Africa Talent Project

MBA for Africa is a 20-week online practical programme is developed by iManage Africa and seeks to equip emerging music industry executives on the continent.

Sponsored by YouTube Music, the Creative Industry Initiative For Africa and media company Music Ally, the MBA Talent Project is the practical aspect of the training programme, allowing students get to practice what they’ve learnt.

The call follows music marketing company Linkfire’s announcement that it would be partnering with MBA for Africa to sponsor 10 women who want in join the training programme, which runs from July to November 2022.

This year, the talent project is open to artists in six African countries and organisers will select seven participants. The students will be broken into seven groups, with each group representing and developing one of the seven talents.

The 2021 Cohort of students is behind the Moments EP, released in November last year. The EP features musical creatives who made it to the finals of the 2021 MBA Talent Project. The recording artists include B Amarii, Maestrum, Philip Dobson, Eiko and Brum3h, with Ihcego, Mo’Believe, Obehi Ruth, Tommy WÁ and Warsheep as songwriters. Producers who worked on the project include BeatsbyHcien, Pope Beats, Royel The Producer, Sochee and SupaBoii. Final mixing and mastering was done by Grammy-nominated Producer and Engineer Brandon "Blue" Hamilton.

Eligibility

To qualify, artists must be:

• Resident in Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda or South Africa.
• Must be completely unsigned from any record label, distribution, or management deal.
• Between the ages of 17 and 30.

Note: Applicants are allowed ONE song per entry!

The deadline for application for the 2022 MBA Talent Project is 8 July.

Interested applicants may apply here.