SA: SAMRO Foundation announces music business course bursary recipients

22 Jul 2021 - 13:34

Published under the Creative Commons Licence

The SAMRO Foundation has announced the names of 30 individuals who will receive bursaries to complete a short music business course at Boston City campuses in South Africa from September to November.

Singer Brenda Mtambo is among the recipients of the Music Business Short Learning Course bursary.

The course is a pilot project that was launched by the SAMRO Foundation and Boston City Campus as a new approach to help members of the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) to gain insight into the music business. The bursaries will cover the course fees valued at about R6 000 ($350) for the selected SAMRO members.

SAMRO Foundation manager James French said the course would be run by Boston City Campus in partnership with Soul Candi, with the aim of helping artists navigate the local music industry more successfully.

“There is a big gap between curating musical notes into a masterpiece and getting the bank notes from the music’s rights and royalties,” French said. “It requires a shift between the creative left brain and the pragmatic right brain, and a shift from the aesthetic to business.”

The complex hustle of working in the South African music industry, French said, often left music creators struggling to understand contracts and copyright law, with many feeling frustrated and excluded by complicated structures and processes in the industry.

“From contracts with partners, publishers, venues and collection management organisations to creating a new song along with the ebb and flow of global economics can sometimes seem even more daunting than playing notes,” he said. “The short course will assist SAMRO members to develop practical skills and provide them with valuable information and insights.”

After completing the course, graduates will have the requisite knowledge and practical skills on basic artist management techniques with a focus on building artist brands, develop an understanding of the underlying principles and concepts relating to copyright law, acquire technical proficiency to apply these techniques universally, and create sponsorship proposals to host music events.

Boston City Campus’ network of support centres will grant students access to computers, online assessments, filmed lectures, electronic library facilities, examination venues and administrative services.

“SAMRO received over 100 applications for the Music Business Short Learning Course bursary, and the adjudication panel was hard-pressed in considering every applicant by their need and capacity to complete the course,” French said.

The 30 recipients are: