Dear SAMRO Member,
It’s hard to believe that the first month of 2017 is almost over. Not so long, we were celebrating the New Year and making all sorts of resolutions to guide us throughout the year. After the success of our two music industry round-table discussions, we are happy to announce that the third instalment of this is heading to Emnotweni in Mpumalanga. It has always been our objective to host meaningful events around the country with the sole mandate of disseminating important industry information and sharing it with those who need it. We cannot wait to interact with the Mpumalanga music creators, publishers and music users.
All the way from Limpopo in a small village called Ga-Matipane near Tzaneen, Malatji is a one talented artist who prides himself in singing his compositions mainly using his mother tongue, Khelobedu. Since his introduction to the music industry with his well packaged contemporary afro jazz sound, Malatji has had a fair share of music awards nominations including, the South African Music Awards and Metro FM Music Awards. Recently, Beat Bulletin had an opportunity to sit with the musician and talk about his musical career, from being signed to Sony, going independent and singing in his mother tongue.
Afro-pop songstress, Bulelwa Mkutukana best known as Zahara is undoubtedly one of the best talented female vocalists in South Africa. Having been discovered by independent label, TS Record, the talent fast cemented her way in the mainstream music industry with her first album, Loliwe. We share details of our chat with the multi-award-winning artist, talking about her music career, comeback album after her name made headlines for all the wrong reasons and why she prefers working with producers, Robbie Malinga and Mojalefa Thebe.
With more people spending time on the internet, it is undoubtedly becoming difficult for a music talent to ignore the social media phenomena. So how can a talent use social media effectively? It is no secret that the music industry has evolved over the years and in today’s world, internet has become a very important tool that music talents should embrace. Social media reigns supreme when it comes to sharing information and expressing yourself as an artist. This article looks at ways that an artist can benefit from using social media. It is worth taking a look at if you want to get an insight on how you can promote your craft using this platform.
Good news for those studying music. The SAMRO Foundation is inviting aspiring musicians to apply for music study bursaries. In 2016, the Foundation awarded bursaries worth over R1 million to music students. If you are in need of funds to further your music studies, then check what is required to apply for this bursary. The deadline for the submission of bursary applications is 31 March 2017.
We would also like to introduce you to DALRO, one of our subsidiaries. DALRO is a non-profit organisation that provides licensing solutions that allow companies to use copyright-protected words and images. Read more about this organisation in this edition of Beat Bulletin.
Until then, let the music play.
Tiyani Maluleke
General Manager: Marketing & Communications