WHAT WENT DOWN AT MOSHITO 2013
MI CASA TOPS ITUNES CHARTS
LINDIWE SUTTLE WINS JOHN LENNON INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING AWARD
SAMRO MUSICIANS WIN AT PRESTIGIOUS MBOKODO AWARDS
SAMRO TACKLES UNDOC AND ELEVATES CUSTOMER SERVICE TO NEW HEIGHTS
NEW SELF-REGISTRATION FEATURE MAKES NOTIFYING WORKS WITH SAMRO MORE CONVENIENT

Beat Bulletin September 2013

Workflow Access: SAMRO Workflow

The Beat Bulletin
September 2013

Dear SAMRO Music Creators

Spring has definitely sprung and this usually brings with it spring cleaning. Not in the classic sense of the word but rather it encourages us to make changes. SAMRO is being proactive in this area by making changes within the organisation; changes that will make doing business with us more convenient. We have developed a nifty new self-registration feature to our online portal to make notifying your works with us that much easier. Read more about it in this newsletter.

And, with the new season, it is probably as good a time as any for you to revisit your own administration processes and take stock of which works you have notified with us and also confirm with us whether your personal details that we have on record are correct. Read the SAMRO Undoc story about how we are accelerating our efforts to reach members who have royalties due them.

I am proud to say that our music creators have been proving just how talented they are by winning awards and breaking into new digital markets. Read more about them in this issue of Beat Bulletin. Congratulations to all of them!

Last but most certainly not least, SAMRO recently attended the 2013 Moshito Music Conference and Exhibition, and you can read more about this highly informative conference in this newsletter.

Would you like to be profiled in a future newsletter? Do you have any news that you would like to share with fellow SAMRO members? Please contact us at online@samro.org.za – we look forward to your comments and ideas for possible inclusion in The Beat Bulletin.

Enjoy!

Yours in music,

Tiyani Maluleke

General Manager: Marketing

WHAT WENT DOWN AT MOSHITO 2013

Ten years on and this year’s Moshito Music Conference and Exhibition, held over 22-23 September at the Sandton Convention Centre, had delegates enthralled with its incredible line-up of speakers, networking opportunities and top South African performances. Focusing primarily on the African music agenda, but within the international context, Moshito challenged delegates in their assumptions and perspectives with relevant, often hard-hitting musical insights. It started lively conversations both in-conference and online, which are likely to continue into the future, to the benefit of the industry.

In his opening address incoming chairman and CEO of SAMRO Sipho Dlamini welcomed delegates to a conference promising an array of “local and global thought leaders, shape-shifters and movers and shakers”, a promise that was delivered on over and over again throughout the weekend. Described as “inspirational” by many, the conference saw the most pressing issues brought to light and into discussion. The Twitter-sphere was alive with conversation as many joined in from afar.

Hot this year was the debate around the influences of social media, mobile technology and digital promises and pitfalls with speakers like performing artist Kabomo, encouraging musicians to engage with the technology. Damon Forbes and Native Rhythm’s Sipho Sithole discussed musicians’ sometimes-tenuous relationships with South African record companies, while Mxolisi Majozi talked about the power of musical lyrics.

Delegates were treated to a glittering array of performances from artists like The Soil, Indwe and Mahotella Queens, as well as the strong contingent of artists from Reunion Island’s IOMMA conference. Despite the unwelcome chill in the air, it was a conference to remember, with delegates satiated on all it had to offer.

MI CASA TOPS ITUNES CHARTS

Popular house band Mi Casa is growing more popular by the minute. The three members – Dr. Duda, Jsomething and Mo-T – have recently seen their new album Su Casa climb to the number 2 spot on the local iTunes charts, all within 12 hours.

The same album also debuted at number 1 on the Musica Album Sales chart only four days after it was released in South Africa. “It’s awesome and we are still taking it all in,” comments the band. “It’s important to understand and then utilise the digital markets for distribution of musical content. It provides us with a global fan base.”

As exciting as the digital space can be, it also means that musicians need to be more vigilant in notifying their new works as activity increases, therefore growing musicians’ earning potential.

LINDIWE SUTTLE WINS JOHN LENNON INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING AWARD

Stunning R&B singer and SAMRO music creator Lindiwe Suttle has won the best R&B category at this year’s John Lennon International Songwriting Competition for her evocative song titled Twilight.

Her second single 1000 miles (off her debut album Kamikaze Art), due for release later in 2013, has also won Top 12 in the International Songwriting Contest (ISC), one of the biggest global competitions.

“I am feeling on top of the world right now and looking forward to the public response to my song 1000 Miles when it hits the streets later this year,” says Suttle, who also stresses how important it is to notify your works with SAMRO, especially as the compositions grow in popularity.

The talented singer is currently in Berlin promoting her debut album Kamikaze Art, which was play-listed on MTV Europe and is due for release in October.

SAMRO MUSICIANS WIN AT PRESTIGIOUS MBOKODO AWARDS

Talented South African musicians, and SAMRO members, were honoured at the prestigious second annual Mbokodo Awards on 29 August 2013. This year the event paid tribute to South African women in arts and culture, and saw the likes of Lira and Simphiwe Dana walk away with coveted awards, in the Arts Ambassador and Music categories, respectively.

The theme for the awards ceremony this year was The Phoenix within me: African woman arise! which reflected the awards’ focus on recognising the impact that the country’s women have had in the area of arts, culture and heritage.

SAMRO congratulates all of the talented women who were recipients of these awards and especially those doing great things in the music industry.

SAMRO TACKLES UNDOC AND ELEVATES CUSTOMER SERVICE TO NEW HEIGHTS

To pay royalties to its music creators, SAMRO needs them to notify their works so that there is a reliable record. Then, when SAMRO receives cue sheets from music users, stating which musical works they utilised, the organisation is able to allocate the correct royalties to the right composers.

Inevitably, there are instances where SAMRO receives cue sheets from music users listing works, which have not been notified or registered with the organisation. In other cases, the music creator’s contact details are outdated or missing and sometimes the composer has not registered with SAMRO. This creates the undesirable situation where SAMRO finds itself with royalties it cannot readily distribute.

Instead of simply hoping these composers come knocking on its doors in search of their royalties, SAMRO is now taking the lead by proactively tracing music creators who have royalties due to them.

One of the first steps SAMRO has taken is to place a number of advertisements in a variety of popular newspapers alerting composers of the need to:

•register as SAMRO members;

•notify each and every work they release commercially; and

•ensure that SAMRO has their correct contact details.

According to Pfanani Lishivha, Executive GM: Rights-Holder Services, “There are composers, whose musical works have been used, but haven’t been registered with SAMRO. We have not succeeded in getting hold of them either because their contact details have changed or were never supplied at the time of applying for membership. We want them to notify these works or direct us to the relevant composers so that the deserving authors and composers are paid what is due to them.”

Lishivha emphasises that this awareness campaign, which prioritises paying royalties to the rightful owners at all costs, is well in line with SAMRO’s new vision to improve customer service and care. “The tracing of composers whose musical works have been used but have not been registered with us is an initiative we have identified to improve our service offering to our members, and we are committed to its success,” he says.

Please contact SAMRO on 0800 247 247 or 24-7@samro.org.za for more information.

NEW SELF-REGISTRATION FEATURE MAKES NOTIFYING WORKS WITH SAMRO MORE CONVENIENT

Earlier this year, SAMRO introduced a new and innovative web portal that allows you to interact with your account online. Now you can self-register via the SAMRO web portal, making it much quicker, easier and more convenient for you to do your SAMRO business online.

Self-registration is really easy. Simply click on the “portal login” tab at the top right-hand side of the SAMRO website, or click here. Once you have logged on you will be prompted to follow a few easy steps.

However, should you experience any difficulties, you can contact SAMRO’s Customer Services Department on 0800 247 247 or email 24-7@samro.org.za for assistance.

Of course, if you don’t have access to the internet, you can still notify your works and apply for membership the old-fashioned way – in person – by visiting SAMRO Place at 20 De Korte Street in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, by post or by visiting any of SAMRO’s contact centers, during working hours.

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