Concert SA helps artists fund music tours
Since it was initiated in 2013, the Music Mobility Fund has received almost 600 applications and supported more than 110 tours.
CONCERT SA is calling on all artists who are planning a music tour but are unsure how to fund it. The music mobility fund will be selecting new projects to support in March. The 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.
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.
Reflecting on their latest tour Bonj Mpanza, a vocalist of Future Afro band said, “Our personal and professional growth in our recent tour to Tanzania involved dealing with challenging circumstances while still offering the best performances we could. After the tour, we are definitely more efficient and equipped to deal with any situation than before the tour. Now that we know which venues, festivals and promoters are worthwhile from either a financial or strategic viewpoint, we could organise a tour focusing only on the performances that would have the most impact. This was our first international tour and seeing people connect to our music so far from home was an amazing experience. Afforded the privilege of experiencing the beautiful country and culture through music has been an unforgettable experience which we will treasure forever. What a privilege to be able to grow friendship and human connection through music.”
Since it was initiated in 2013, the Music Mobility Fund has received almost 600 applications and supported more than 110 tours with artists like Tlokwe Sehume, Lindiwe Maxolo, Benjamin Jeptha, Wendy Oldfield, The Rudimentals and Tu Nokwe. More than 500 musicians have successfully toured across the nine South African provinces as well as nine countries in southern Africa (Botswana, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia), playing almost 600 shows to over 40 000 people, spanning genres from jazz to indigenous music, from folk to hip-hop and kwaito.
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 three months in duration. Applicants may request up to R45,000 and the deadline for the application is 26 February.
