Tanzania confirmed as next stop for ACCES music conference

The Tanzanian capital will be the fourth African city to host ACCES, after the music business event took place in Dakar, Senegal (2017), Nairobi, Kenya (2018), and Accra, Ghana (2019). This will be the second time that the conference will be held in East Africa.

“After careful consideration and many discussions with our network partners across Africa, we have decided to take ACCES to Tanzania, a truly inspirational country in terms of music and culture,” MIAF director Eddie Hatitye said. “Tanzania is a place where traditional and contemporary music come together to create a colourful music scene that deserves to be celebrated with a truly pan-African platform like ACCES.”

ACCES has stamped its authority as Africa’s leading music trade event. At the 2019 edition in Accra, the conference brought together more than 700 delegates from about 50 countries on the continent and beyond. The conference also hosted 76 showcasing artists from Africa and the diaspora, who got to perform for an influential audience at two top live venues in the Ghanaian capital. The Tanzanian edition will also take place at multiple venues in Dar es Salaam.

Apart from live showcases, the conference features panel discussions, presentations, exhibitions, pitch sessions, Q&A sessions with prominent musicians and visits to key music industry hubs in the host city. Many of these activities will be planned for ACCES 2020, with the ACCES team already exploring a tailor-made programme that will cater for the specific needs of the local music industry.

“Every year we fine-tune our programme in a highly informed manner with the help of local and international partners, so that music professionals can get the best value out of ACCES,” Hatitye said. “The conference is free to attend for African delegates and we urge all Tanzanians who are involved in the music scene to come together to explore new prospects and network with event organisers, record labels, digital distributors and media representatives from countries like South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Germany, France, the UK and the US, to name a few.”

Tanzania at a glance

Tanzania’s music industry has shown noticeable potential over the past few years, with PwC forecasting a total music revenue growth of 8.5% in 2020. PwC expects the Tanzanian entertainment and media sector to reach about $1.4bn in revenue in 2023, compared to half of that number in 2019. The accounting giant also sees strong growth in mobile, which accounts for the bulk of digital music consumption in the country.

Honouring African legends

ACCES 2020 will open on 26 November with the Music In Africa Honorary Award ceremony, which pays tribute to African artists who have made immense contributions to the music and cultural industries in their countries and Africa as a whole. Previous award recipients include Baaba Maal (Senegal, 2017), Eric Wainaina (Kenya, 2018), Ebo Taylor (Ghana, 2019) and Bibie Brew (Ghana, 2019).

Get involved

• As a performer: ACCES offers a great platform for emerging African talents. Performers have to apply to play at ACCES. Follow this link to read the full call for showcasing artists.
• As a speaker: Follow this link to apply for an opportunity to present a conference session at ACCES 2020.
• As a delegate: Delegate registrations will open on 16 March via the ACCES official website. ACCES is free to all Africans.
• As an exhibitor: ACCES offers unrivalled opportunities for music businesses to exhibit their works and services to a wider audience. Reserve your space via the official website (from 16 March).
• Pitch sessions: ACCES’ Pitch Sessions allow businesses to pitch their great innovations and services to a critical audience. Pitch Session registrations will also open on 16 March.

For more information about the opportunities available at ACCES 2020, see the attached brochure below.

About ACCES

The Music In Africa Conference for Collaborations, Exchange and Showcases, or simply ACCES, is a pan-African trade event for music industry players to exchange ideas, discover new talent and create business linkages. ACCES is held in a different African city every year, attracting active music industry players from across the globe.

ACCES is organised by the Music In Africa Foundation, a non-profit and pan-African organisation, in partnership with Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut.

For more information about the conference, visit the official ACCES website.

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COVID-19 UPDATE

Following our ACCES 2020 announcement, and in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we would like to assure our community that we are closely monitoring and assessing developments with a view to make an informed decision.

ACCES remains scheduled for 26-28 November 2020. The overriding priority for the Music In Africa Foundation is the safety and security of our broader music community and everyone involved in staging this high-profile event.

We are hopeful that “the show will go on” and encourage you to continue to register for the conference, and apply for showcases and submit  conference proposals. We will continue to communicate transparently with all stakeholders, and event partners as the situation develops.
 
Please follow our online platforms for further updates: https://www.musicinafrica.net/acces