(Concerts SA Artwork. Illustration
by Mzwandile Buthelezi)
Deadline: October 5,
2015
This tour funding mechanism offers opportunities for
professional South African musicians to undertake live music tours in South
Africa as well as other Southern African Development Community (SADC)
countries. The fund provides support to live music performances, collaborations
and workshops.
Following the success of the first round of funding for 2015
in April, applications are now open for the second iteration of Music Mobility
Fund disbursements this year. The deadline for submissions is October 5, 2015,
and tours should take place between October 2015 and mid-April 2016.
Since it was initiated in 2013, the Music Mobility Fund has
supported more than 50 tours and has featured artists like Wendy Oldfield &
Paul Hanmer, Ihashi Elimhlophe, Pops Mohamed and Dave Reynolds, Carlo Mombelli,
Morayks, and Thandi Ntuli.
In addition to South Africa, these performances and projects
have fanned out to Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland,
Tanzania and Zimbabwe, spanning genres from jazz to traditional indigenous
music, from folk to hip-hop and kwaito.
The Fund is administered by Concerts SA, a joint South African/Norwegian
project housed within The SAMRO Foundation. Working with musicians, promoters,
venue owners and audiences, the project aims to build a vibrant, viable and
sustainable live music circuit in southern Africa. It also seeks to develop an
interest in and appreciation of live music by showcasing music performances and
conducting workshops at schools.
Hassan’adas band leader John Hassan, who recently returned
from a tour of Mozambique supported by the Music Mobility Fund, says it was a
fruitful and instructive experience in his development as a professional
musician:
Guitarist Guy Buttery, another 2015 Mobility Fund recipient
who has also collaborated on other funded tours, says: “Concerts SA not only
assisted with making it possible to arrange great sound for the numerous
launches on Julian Redpath’s ‘Maiden Light Tour’, but also consistently hyped
the tour through social media and helped put the tour in the press and Julian’s
album on the South African map.
Designed to help musicians, music industry professionals and
organisations build on already-established domestic success and develop
connections, markets and audiences for their work, the fund provides support
towards travel and transportation, as well as per diems, material costs (hiring
of backline and sound equipment), accommodation and visas.
Among the projects that may be financed are tours and
concerts, including regional, national or provincial tours, as well as
performances at festivals and showcases. The Music Mobility Fund also funds
artistic collaborations with merit among musicians based in different provinces
of South Africa or SADC countries. Each project must be between four days and
six months in duration.
National Projects:
Artists from all provinces are invited to apply for national projects taking
place in any South African province(s). The bulk of the activities must take
place outside the province where the artist is based. The tour schedule must
include one activity in either Gauteng, the Western Cape or KwaZulu-Natal.
Applicants may request up to R25,000.
Regional Projects:
Regional projects must take place in one or more of the following SADC
countries: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar,
Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia
and Zimbabwe. Applicants will need to conduct their own research and have
identified and communicated with a potential partner or host. The partner may
be an individual or organisation and must be an established musician or music
professional, and must be based in the SADC country (or countries) where the
project will take place. Applicants may request up to R40,000.
Applicants should complete the application form in English,
and submit it by Monday October 5 2015, including the following mandatory
documents: legal documentation of the applicant (ID/passport copy for
individuals and organisation representatives; company registration documents);
track record (media coverage, website links, evidence of recognition awards,
public appearances or residencies, CV, biography, etc); budget of the project
(including projected income and expenditure); and a calendar of activities with
tour schedule. SADC regional projects must include a letter from the local host
confirming their support and involvement.
For application forms visit http://www.concertssa.co.za/call-out-music-mobility-fund-2015-october/
Enquiries and applications should be submitted by email to concertssa@samro.org.za, by fax to
086 500 7028 or by post to Concerts SA, c/o The SAMRO Foundation, 20 De Korte
Street, 4th Floor SAMRO Place, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2001.