Corporate sponsorship increase for SA music – report

The report, which is informed by BASA’s ArtsTrack research project that tracks realities and trends of consumer engagement as well as perception of the arts sector and its sponsors, says corporate sponsorship in South African music has shown exceptional growth.

“In 2015 alone, South African musicians attracted R55m more in sponsorship from business than they had in 2014,” it said.

Value leveraged from these grants, the research finds, has grown 166% in 20 years from R6 of investment for every rand granted in 1997 to R13 of investment for every rand granted last year.

More than R34m has been disbursed in BASA grants to 1 487 arts projects. The highest percentage of sponsorship, the report says, go to strategic partnerships and to projects that focus on professional development, young people, education and underserved communities.

The report finds that the food and beverage, finance, and media and entertainment sectors have been the most consistent sponsors of the arts over the reported period. These sectors also provide some of the highest arts sponsorship, with 24.25% coming from South Africa’s financial sector.

“The research examines and reports on two decades of BASA’s work with South African business and artists," BASA research manager Madeleine Selmer-Olsen said. "This work is to forge and nurture constructive, mutually beneficial relationships between the corporate and creative sectors of the economy.

“In 20 years we have seen profound deepening of the understanding that has developed between business and the arts. It’s created a culture of symbiosis in South Africa. The publication of this research gives South Africa a data-driven environment in which to make economic investment decisions.”

BASA continues to see upward trends in corporate-sector participation in the arts. As a result, there is also an upward trend in the value of grants allocated by BASA with the support of the South African Department of Arts and Culture.

According to the report, 45% of South African adults say they are in favour of companies sponsoring the arts and culture sector whereas 55% prefer that businesses support just music.