SA: Music Exchange conference to go virtual

The event, which seeks to empower South Africa’s entertainment economy, is in its 10th edition and will run under the hashtag #MEX20.

It will feature 10 guest speakers from the industry, including Charles Goldstuck (Hitco Entertainment LLC), Arthur Goldstuck (World Wide Worx), Siphokazi Jonas (producer and spoken word artist), Christian Wright (Abbey Road Studios), and Lance Stehr (Mutherland Records).

Other speakers include Wiseman Ngubo (CAPASSO), Neil Johnson (radio programmer), Callum Stevenson (Blue Key Digital Marketing), Moreira Chonguica (musician and producer), Rachel Z (musician and producer).

Over the past 10 years, MEX has engaged with a variety of specialist speakers across a plethora of disciplines, from publishing, live performance, production, PR and marketing, songwriting and all legal aspects associated with nurturing and growing the overall entertainment ecosystem, with the sole purpose of elevating, educating and sharing a wealth of learning from around the world.

“With the overall industry decimated in the face of the COVID-19 fallout, #MEX20’s annual conference is critical to surviving and succeeding in a world that remains in financial freefall," the organisers said. "Despite 2020 being the most challenging in MEX’s decade of dedication, investment and global outreach, #MEX20 is opening its annual industry-focused indaba to the world.”

The founder and convener of the conference, Martin Myers, said: “Not only is 2020 a big year in Music Exchange’s history, but it’s also without question the most urgent in addressing and rising above the challenges thrust upon every single person in our massively compromised economy.”

Previous MEX speakers have included industry professionals such as David Kramer, Dr Trevor Jones, Bryan Michael Cox, Stuart Rubin, Mos Def, Tim Renner, Sipho 'Hotstix' Mabuse, Tom Novy, Karen Zoid, RJ Benjamin and AKA.

More speakers will be announced in the build-up to the event. Find booking details and more information here.