The Africa Music Business Roundtable, AMBR, a platform organised by the All
Africa Music Awards engaged top music business stakeholders, label owners and
music marketers on the theme, Digital Takeover; Shaping the Future of African
Music, at the Grand Ball room, Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos
by 8am.
Keynote speakers present at the event were the Head of
culture, African Union Commission, Angela Martins, General Manager, Sony Music,
West Africa, Michael Ugwu, Managing Director, Trace Anglophone, West Africa Samo
Onyemelukwe, Technology & Media Leader, PwC, West Africa, Femi Osinubi,
Chairperson Moshito Festival South Africa, Dr.Sipho Sithole, Artistic Director
Timitar Festival Morocco, Brahim El Mazned, MD United Capital Securities Ltd.
Nigeria, Jude Chiemeka, Head A&R Okay Music USA, Rikki Stein, Head of
Operations, Content Connect Africa, South Africa, Munya Chanetsa, CEO Kennis
Music Nigeria, Kenny Ogungbe, Founder/CEO Emblue, Kelvin Orifa.
The Head of Culture, AUC, Angela Martins opened with a
goodwill speech from the AUC, commending the relentless work of AFRIMA in
promoting African music, culture and creative enterprise in Africa. Ms Martins
also thanked the host country, Nigeria who through its support for the host
city, Lagos has successfully hosted Africa’s leading creatives and musicians at
AFRIMA for 3years.
Ms Angela noted in her Speech ‘The theme of the Roundtable
Digital Takeover: Shaping the Future of African Music is in line with the
African Union Agenda on the promotion of the new information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs). Digitization is the order of the day. We are glad that this theme was chosen
so that music professionals can debate on it and come up with a clear roadmap
on how to keep abreast with these new information and communication
tools…African music can make great strides and reach out to new continental and global markets.’
At the First Plenary Session; African Music Marketing and
Distribution, Rikki Stein, noted that the key to marketing is
education. He opined that young music industry practitioners must be ready to
learn and get their ‘teeth into the matter’. He also said that African artistes
must have the global music space in mind while working on their music.
Micheal Ugwu advised that Intellectual Property is important
for every artiste in the digital age. Ugwu noted that record labels makes 4
Million dollars a day from streaming. ‘It is critical to have a great lawyer or
a great legal team’ he added. There are things such as DMCA, content IP to protect
copyright ownership but digital space gives the space of massive reach as well
as massive infringement.
Samo Onyemelukwe said that capacity development in the entertainment
industry in Africa is part of the goals of Trace TV. He said that it is one of
the reasons why it partnered with AFRIMA 2017. He encouraged music artistes to
develop a huge local base at home instead of making huge music investments with
worldwide tours. Onyemelukwe said that more investments need to be plugged in
to develop and create music content in Africa. He also said that they have
launched a digital streaming platform, Trace Play, which gives subscribers
access to over 200 entertainment channels affiliated to Trace.
Kelvin Orifa, said that artistes don’t have to be part of
big record labels. He noted that Independent artistes control about 37%
of the music profits in the world. He stated that artistes and artiste managers
‘spend so much time on the outward appearance instead the nucleus of the
music itself-which is ensuring the music itself is right’.
Orifa said that artiste managers need to answer the basic
analytics to reach its audience. ‘Who your fan is, where are they—it is a world
without borders but the fan base may be sitting here in Africa. How best you
can reach them—is it on tours, the media’. Orifa also commented that the
African Union must encourage a unified policy where African songs are not restricted
to its country by national copyright policies.
Munya Chanetsa, explained the factors that have made music
an emerging market such as reduction of data cost which encourages streaming,
cheap and locally produced Smart phones which increases the access to African music.
He noted that streaming technology through its algorithms will suggest music content
around the interest of the consumer, thereby making the industry a
consumer-centric one. The fluidity of financial exchange through electronic
channels has also helped access purchase to live music
concerts.
concerts.
After the break The 2nd Plenary Session tagged Music
Business Financing in Africa was opened by Femi Osinubi. Osinubi made his
presentation based on the PwC 5 year forecast of the Electronic and Media (E&M)
industry in 2017. The forecast projected a growth in the entertainment industry
in Nigeria where he highlighted the emerging trends in Africa. Osinubi said that
globally E&M is on a decline but projection on Nigeria shows that E&M industry
will enjoy a 12.1% percent growth with technological advancements in the music
industry. He agreed with other stakeholders that streaming, freemiums and audience
centred promotions are some of the strategies used by players in the
industry. Albeit the stiff competition in the industry and the engagement
of international music interest in the continent, Osunibi is hopeful that once
the government can create and enforce policies against piracy, the industry
will grow exponentially.
Dr Sipho Sithole noted that African music must be appreciated
as the foundations of popular music genres like Jazz, Pop and Blues, which was developed
after the Trans-Atlantic enslavement. Beyond the cultural appreciation, African
music ought to be paid for its intellectual property deposited in the archives
of the West without royalties to the original creators of the music content. He
is hopeful that with the celebration of African legends like Fela, Hugh Masekela,
Manu Dibango, music artistes like Davido, Sauti Soul and Yemi Alade have a
quantifiable and enviable heritage to contribute to.
Ibrahim El Mazned said that Africans need to collaborate
more in the music business. He said that the current music infrastructure will
not be able to involve the international markets. ‘The whole of Africa has five
music markets while France has seven music markets’. Mazned launched Visa
for Music, a platform set to solve the collaboration challenges in the continent
by exposing African music to the Middle East and the rest of the world.
Kenny Ogungbe noted that the digital space is the future and
that we must all move with the times in order not to be left out. He recounted
the era of music CDs, ‘Those days, Eedris Abdulkareem slept under the bridge, 2Face
shared a flat with Plantashun Boyz. The first song ever to be played on MTV was
a song by 2face’ now you have all sorts of platforms where music artistes can
earn money through the click of the button’.
Representing the MD, United Capital Securities Ltd, Jude
Chiemaka, Wale Onusi, asserted that Nigeria entertainment industry contributes
95 jobs to the economy annually. This 1% job increase has pushed the nation’s
GDP to 1.5 Trillion Naira and this growth is likely to double in few years. He noted
that Music has become a business and the criteria for getting funding starts is
the quality of the music, and the ability of artistes and managers to sell
their dreams to investors in a business-like manner.
Meanwhile, Africans on the continent and in the diaspora are
eager for the AFRIMA 2017 awards ceremony as the African-American Pop-icon,
Akon and Cameroonian diva-broadcaster, Sophy Aiida will host the World Class
music event at 6PM on Sunday, 12 November 2017, Eko Hotels and
Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. The main awards ceremony will take place after the Red Carpet
session where the crème of the creative industry, music lovers and diplomatic
and government personalities will make their presence grand at the AFRIMA 2017
Red Carpet. Tickets for the AFRIMA Main awards ceremony are available on www.afrima.org, ariyatickets.com, nairabox.com and
other platforms.
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