ACCES 2021: Leading experts to explore live music sector post-COVID

Titled Transformations of the African Live Music Industry, the panel discussion will feature musician, composer and producer Moreira Chonguica (Mozambique), Ongala Music Festival founder Aziza Ongala (Tanzania), Jacaranda Music Festival founder and artistic director Walter Wanyanya (Zimbabwe), Dakar Music Expo founder Dudu Sarr (Senegal) and veteran photojournalists and event producer Rashid Lombard (South Africa).

ACCES is the leading pan-African trade event for music industry players to exchange ideas, discover new talent and create business linkages. The brainchild of the Music In Africa Foundation, the music conference is held in a different African city every year. This year’s edition is scheduled for Constitution Hill and Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 25 to 27 November. 

The panellists will talk about the dynamics of the live music sector, which was dealt a blow by the COVID-19 pandemic, with live performance revenue suffering the most. Multiple reports suggest that the live music industry lost billions of dollars due the pandemic while musicians have had to turn to the digital space to continue plying their trade. In recent months, however, the industry has slowly begun to recover and musicians have returned to the stage following the arrival of vaccines and the easing of restrictions on public gatherings. The industry pros will unpack networks, platforms, cooperation strategies and best practices that will be helpful to bring back live music in Africa.

The discussion will be preceded by a talk by Lombard, who will lead the first ACCES 2021 conference session. A highly experienced music industry professional, Lombard co-founded the Cape Town International Jazz Festival and led its operations between 2000 and 2014. He is also the founder of Rashid Lombard Inc. His presentation will tackle the current state of South Africa’s live music scene, developmental challenges and how the country will shift towards new norms for the industry.

Lombard’s talk will start at 10.40am, after which he will join the Transformations of the African Live Music Industry panel discussion at 11pm. 

View the full ACCES programme here.

About ACCES

ACCES is a pan-African trade event for music industry players to exchange ideas, discover new talent and create business linkages. ACCES is held in a different African city every year, attracting active music industry players from across the globe. ACCES is organised by the Music In Africa Foundation, a non-profit and pan-African organisation, in partnership with Reeperbahn Festival International, Siemens Stiftung, Goethe-Institut, Joburg Tourism, Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, Ditto Music, SACEM, Pro Helvetia, Tuerk Music, Kaya FM and Bassline.

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