The Wawela Awards have arrived to celebrate
the success of South African music on the international stage, but SAMRO says
that this new initiative does more than put composers and authors of music in
the spotlight. SAMRO Deputy-CEO Sipho Dlamini says, “the art begins when the
song is written.” The Wawela Music Awards are about recognising and rewarding
the composers and authors of music for their remarkable contribution to
creating music.
“There’s no doubt South African music is
getting increased recognition on a global scale,” he continues. “Despite this,
our musicians - particularly songwriters - still struggle to gain exposure. As
a champion of music rights SAMRO has stepped in with an initiative that will
achieve the education and promotion of locally-composed music. SAMRO Deputy-CEO
Sipho Dlamini comments that the Wawela Music Awards do more than support the
musicians you see and hear. The Wawela Music Awards also recognise composers
for their achievements on the international stage. Quite often the people who
write the music are not those you hear performing the songs or appearing in
music videos. For this reason, composers find it harder to get exposure for
their work. The Wawela Music Awards are about recognising composers and
songwriters who contribute to the final composition.”
Around the country, the music community is
welcoming the new awards. Global Star Entertainment CEO, Lazarus Serobe
comments, “The awards are a good initiative. People like Lira are making huge
strides representing South Africa abroad. Publicising these efforts by South
African musicians is the only way to go.”
Antos Stella, the founder of AS
Entertainment, is among those also voicing her support of the awards
initiative, “I believe it is high time South African musicians are recognised
for their international achievements. Many of our musicians both past and
present work tirelessly to shatter boundaries and present our music and culture
to the rest of the world. It is high time our musicians are recognised for
their efforts.”
The Wawela Music Awards are open to all
SAMRO members whose music has featured internationally. Members can submit
their music and learn more about the awards, which are sponsored by SAMRO, by
visiting www.wawelamusicawards.co.za
Entries close on April 2, 2013.
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