SA: SADMA to host concert for the disabled

The concert will feature disabled musicians who were discovered by SADMA during a nationwide talent search held in South Africa’s nine provinces five years ago. It will feature disabled musicians from provinces such as Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal, the Eastern Cape and North West.

“This concert is to introduce the artists who we have recorded to be recognised and invited to perform at nationwide mainstream concerts and festivals,” SADMA chairperson John Mothupeng told Mpumalanga News.

“Their music is hardly played on national and community radio stations. Their music videos, too, are never given a platform to be played on national TV. This concert will definitely help these musicians gain confidence and self-pride when performing for big crowds.”

Music In Africa spoke to SADMA marketing director Samuel Noge who echoed Mothupeng’s sentiments. “We recorded music for some of these artist and we didn’t have money to market them, but we will market them through these concerts,” Noge said.

Founded in 2010, SADMA also serves as a vehicle for providing education and training on issues of copyright, royalties, publishing and recording contracts.

“We conduct supplement initiatives to train disabled artists on contracts and agreements and how to register with SAMRO,” Noge said. “We received funding from the Department of Arts and Culture and the National Lotteries Commission. We started these initiatives in April.

“We held a workshop about the music industry at the AME Church in Emjindini for people with disabilities on 28 June 2017 and we realised that there is unharnessed talent in the province.”

Recording studio for disabled artists

SADMA runs a recording studio in Johannesburg that is designed to serve the particular needs of physically disabled musicians. The studio was created to alleviate the problems encountered by disabled musicians who want to produce their music commercially.

“We put a ramp so that wheelchairs can be pushed in the studio,” Noge said. “The ramp also goes to the toilets and the studio is user friendly for people with disabilities. We raised funds to make them record music. We pay for everything. We also sponsor those in rural areas to record at our studio.

“We have a team that consists of sound engineers, composers, arrangers and so on. This team records the artists and mixes, maters and designs the CD sleeves,” Noge said, adding that the musicians’ “weakness is only in marketing”.