Deadline: October 2, 2016
Planning a music tour but unsure how to fund it? Apply to
Concerts SA’s Music Mobility Fund. 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 performance-based workshops.
Following the success of the five previous rounds of
funding, applications are now open for the second iteration of Music Mobility
Fund disbursements this year.
The deadline for submissions is October 2, 2016, and tours
should take place between late October 2016 and April 15, 2017.
Since it was initiated in 2013, the Music Mobility Fund has
supported almost 100 tours and has featured artists like Ihashi Elimhlophe,
Carlo Mombelli, Tlokwe Sehume, Nibs van der Spuy, Morayks, and Thandi Ntuli.
In addition to South Africa, these performances and projects
have spread to Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland,
Tanzania and Zimbabwe, spanning genres from jazz to 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 music sector stakeholders, the project
aims to build a vibrant and viable 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.
Jazz vocalist Titi Luzipo reflects on how the Music Mobility
Fund has impacted her latest tour: “It is a great initiative designed to
promote artists in South Africa. My project Songs my Mother Taught Me has
received nationwide recognition through the Mobility Fund. With Concerts SA
(CSA) help, I have toured 4 cities and have had 10 successful shows. The funds
made it easier for me and some of my band members to travel and pay for our
accommodation. The support I got from audiences was overwhelmingly great with
most of them having heard about this on the radio, newspapers and TV: this was
all through the help of the CSA team. As an independent artist, it was so easy
for me to focus on the music while being assisted in publicity and media
releases. Overall, the Mobility Fund is undoubtedly one of the greatest
platforms to kick-start your music on a wider scale. I urge all artists to
apply for this amazing initiative.”
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, artwork design, travel insurance and
visas.
Reflecting on the assistance that he has received from Music
Mobility Fund, Durban folk artist Rowan Stuart says: “It has been a genuine
help to my career this year. Firstly, the grant removed a lot of the
uncertainty and risk that usually come with booking a tour, allowing me to plan
and execute a successful winter tour across South Africa with confidence. The
fact that most of your touring costs are taken care of means that your profit
margin on the road becomes much bigger. The fund also allowed me the freedom to
book a performance at a bigger venue and on a larger scale than usual, which
led to a successful headlining performance at the Barnyard Theatre in Durban.
Having extra funds to put into marketing can really help spread the word and
grow your brand. The people at Concerts SA have been very helpful, assisting me
with refining my press releases and tour branding, as well as marketing my
shows through their own channels. Finally, having the Concerts SA logo and
association with your tour carries weight and legitimacy to your band or artist
brand.”
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 R30,000.
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. Activities in South Africa may be included as part of regional
projects. 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 R45,000.
Applicants should complete the application form in English,
and submit it by October 2, 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 e-mail 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.
For more information, visit http://concertssa.co.za, follow
@ConcertsSA on Twitter (http://twitter.com/ConcertsSA) or like Concerts SA on
Facebook (www.facebook.com/ConcertsSA).
(This information is
published in full on the Arts & Culture Trust’s blog – see http://www.act.org.za)
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