NEFCISA
NEFCISA

The Music In Africa Foundation (MIAF) is proud of its partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) as a Strategic Implementing Partner (SIP) for its Social Employment Fund (SEF). Through this collaboration, MIAF is running a national programme that is creating jobs, addressing skills gaps, and strengthening South Africa's creative industries — in line with the SEF's overarching goal to generate work for the common good and build community value through employment, social contribution, and inclusive economic participation. Operating under the banner NEFCISA (National Employment Facility for Creative Industries in South Africa), the initiative is recruiting and training participants, matching them with host organisations, and has already placed 1 500 workers across the country — surpassing its original target of 1 000. NEFCISA is delivered through a network of 20 host organisations spanning five provinces, who are actively hosting participants and contributing to work for the common good across South Africa's creative and cultural industries. Key Objectives: Support employment and entrepreneurship in the creative industries. Offer skills development and training programmes. Foster partnerships between public and private creative sectors. Promote South African creativity at both provincial and national levels Foster community development through social contribution.

ACCES
ACCES

ACCES Conference and Showcase Festival is Africa's leading music industry gathering, bringing together the people shaping the future of the continent's music business. Artists, entrepreneurs, executives, investors, policymakers and cultural leaders from across Africa and around the world come to ACCES to build partnerships, exchange ideas, discover talent and create new business opportunities. Since its launch in 2017, ACCES has become the continent's premier platform for professional exchange and music market development. Combining a high-level conference with a curated showcase festival, networking, exhibitions and industry programmes, ACCES offers a unique space where creativity meets business and where African music connects with the global industry.

Gender@Work
Gender@Work

Music In Africa Gender @ Work is a three-year training programme aimed at upskilling and increasing the participation of female professionals in the African music sector. Launched by the Music In Africa Foundation (MIAF) in April 2019, the programme is connected to the MIAF’s ACCES music conference – a pan-African event held in a different African country every year. This connection enables the programme to reach new participants in a different African country every year. The programme marks the beginning of a more concerted effort by the Foundation to support the participation and inclusion of women in all facets of its programmes and the music sector in Africa as a whole. Over the three years, the programme will aim to address gender imbalances in the sector through training, lobbying, facilitating knowledge exchange and dialogues that foster the interest of women. The broader objectives of the programme are to: Provide industry training for women on critical music industry skills, focusing on: Stage management Electronic music production and recording Music business management Technical knowledge Provide an opportunity for both professional and aspiring women to benefit from the Music In Africa network and its broad range of activities in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Provide a solution-based platform in the form of a round table at ACCES with a view to identify challenges, discuss opportunities and lobby for the interests of female practitioners. Offer participants the opportunity to benefit from programmes offered by MIAF’s partners. Increase access to educational materials. Integrate participants in the broader ACCES programme to maximise experience and exposure to the industry. Record and present training materials on the www.musicinafrica.net, including but not limited to tutorials, templates and other best-practice materials. Communicate women-based themes that support the initiatives and messages of the programme. MAIN TRAINING ACTIVITIES Training in first country (Ghana): In the first year, participants will be trained on all aspects of stage management by a team of experienced stage managers from 10 to 17 November 2019. The programme will offer robust classroom training as well as practical, hands-on training in which participants will also be given the opportunity to manage various aspects of the ACCES performance programme. Training in second country: The second training iteration will take place at ACCES 2020 when the programme will diversify its course to include music production lessons and training on other music business topics. A round-table platform will also be introduced to coincide with the ACCES programme. Training in third country: The third training iteration will take place at ACCES 2021 in a different country, offering an advanced course. HOW DO YOU GET INVOLVED?  As a participant, facilitator or trainer: The programme enrolls up to 12 trainees every year. All opportunities are advertised publicly on this website, and will be added to this page. Please keep checking this page for new calls (below under UPDATES & CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES). As a partner Please contact Claire Metais at [email protected]. APPLY The call for applications for 2020 will be announced soon. The Music In Africa Gender @ Work programme is made possible with the support of the Prince Claus Fund, Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut.

Sound Connects Fund
Sound Connects Fund

For cultural and creative practitioners and organisations operating in southern Africa, access to funding remains a major challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic has also had a massive impact on government policy, spending and the economy in general, and has seen spending on culture being moved further down the list of priorities. Further, the cultural and creative industries repeatedly cite four main areas where investment is needed for growth, which are increased visibility, mobility including access to new markets, finance and support structures.

Instrument Building And Repair Project
Instrument Building And Repair Project

Experience the Vibrations African Instruments Exhibition online in 3D

News

DAACI and Spitfire Audio announce partnership

09 Sep 2024 - 03:55

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UK-based AI music startup DAACI has teamed up with Spitfire Audio to offer music makers new ways to realise their creative visions.

DAACI CEO Rachel Lyske.

DAACI creates cutting-edge AI tools for music creators, while Spitfire Audio develops sample libraries and virtual instruments. Both companies focus on artist-centric product development and, according to a statement, the arrangement is based on shared values and a commitment to supporting artists.

Spitfire samples are now included in the DAACI Natural Drums plugin, an AI-driven tool that generates real-time drum grooves, mimicking the presence of a session drummer. Part of the DAACI Natural Series, Natural Drums benefits from patented AI and musician-led technologies, crafted by expert drummers. Unlike traditional drum sequencers, it creates bespoke beats with a musician’s intuition rather than relying on static patterns or randomness.

According to Youth Music, 63% of young creatives use AI in their music-making process, and a 2023 Ditto survey found that 60% of independent musicians incorporate AI into their projects.

Both DAACI and Spitfire have outlined plans to further leverage DAACI’s technology to enhance Spitfire’s sounds in innovative ways. The collaboration will integrate DAACI’s advanced generative technology with Spitfire’s renowned virtual instruments and sample libraries.

“We are truly excited by this partnership which launches the first of our generative music prosumer tools,” DAACI Holdings co-founder Philip Walsh said. “This combination of Spitfires’s incredible library of sounds and DAACI’s AI music tools gives content creators instant access to a whole new skill set for making music.”

“In this era of AI and music creation the vital factors are control, compensation and consent,” DAACI CEO Rachel Lyske said. ‘Both Spitfire Audio and DAACI have been built with these values at our core, and we focus on quality, creating the best solutions in the world. We respect every stage of the creative process, from the wonderful musicians responsible for the samples we hear, to the experience and knowledge of the composers, producers and music creators who use them. Spitfire Audio and DAACI put quality and control in the hands of every professional, every student, every creative and every musician. We believe in creating a world-leading collaborative ecosystem where AI is not a replacement for humans, rather it’s a powerful tool if utilised in the right way. This is the beginning of an exciting journey together, based on collaboration and creativity, and I can’t wait to hear the music people will make.”

Spitfire Audio CEO Olivier Robert Murphy added: “The partnership with DAACI signifies a pivotal moment for us as we expand our commitment to support composers, musicians and creatives in pushing the boundaries of music creation through innovative, collaborative and ethically developed AI tools and solutions. Spitfire Audio has always set the industry standard by paying royalties on every sample library sale to the exceptional musicians we collaborate with, so choosing an AI partner that shares our values was essential to us.”

In May 2023, DAACI announced the acquisition of startups MXX and WiSL. MXX developed a video-editing tool to automatically adjust music tracks to the right length, while WiSL built a system for content creators to source, edit, audition, and license music.

“The ultimate goal is to channel our incredibly powerful ecosystem of technology to create new paths for talented individuals to express themselves,” Lyske said at the time.

Meanwhile, DAACI is reportedly due to launch several new tools in the coming months, aiming to create the “ultimate AI music co-pilot”.

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