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Friday, September 18, 2015

CALL OUT: MUSIC MOBILITY FUND 2015



(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.


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.