BY ZAMA NTEYI
The Free State Music Association will host a three-day conference from November 7 to 9 in Bloemfontein.
The Free State International Music Conference is meant for Composers and DJs and according to association chairperson Ayanda Roda, not only is it the only one in the Free State, it is also the biggest in the country.
“We’ll be having professional speakers from other countries such as Namibia, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Botswana at this conference. The conference intends to share information through panel discussions. There’ll also be exhibitors from well-known music collecting societies such as SAMRO, IMPRA, CAPASSO and established record companies,” said Roda.
The conference will focus on the role of collecting societies and intellectual property, international festivals and conferences, radio, TV, digital marketing, music contracts as well as record company operations.
Bursary opportunity
“This year the conference will feature two festivals – Free State Female DJs and Free Hip Hop State, which will showcase hip hop artists from the Free State and neighbouring countries as part of a musician’s cultural exchange initiative between these countries and Free State,” said Roda.
He said that this conference will also give out two bursaries to an already registered sound engineering or a DJ to study sound engineering. The bursary will cover all cost for a year.
Speakers include, Kwaito legend Arthur Mafokate, Knowledge Ipengi from Namibia, Moses Monamodi from IMPRA, Sir Schaba from Lesotho, Munya Chenetsa from Zimbabwe as well as Ortell Phillimon from Botswana.
Free State MEC of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation Zanele Sifuba and her head of department Steve Tshabalala will also grace the event.
