German-African music initiative wants to make ten SA artists famous

The first-ever Paradise Sound System, which will take place at in Johannesburg on 28 and 29 January, says it’s looking for ten South African artists which it will help “catapult on a global scale”.

A German-African partnership between Berlin-based Paradise Entertainment and Distribution and South African music industry players including Jazzworx Studios, the initiative says it “aims to assist independent artists with creating world-class content and ensuring it is distributed globally – all while retaining ownership of their creative works”.

Artists across all genres can find out more and register to participate here.

Following this, there will be the Indie Africa Workshop at the Joburg Theatre on 30 January, a conference which is open to the public and seeks to “offer crucial music industry information”.

The workshop is brought to you by partners including musician Zakes Bantwini, event organisers Africa Rising Music Conference (ARMC), German-based digital music distributors Paradise Distribution, music rights organisations CAPASSO and SAMRO, Eswatini’s Bushfire Festival and music agency VthSeason, best known for representing AKA and Tresor.

Speakers at the workshop will include Bantwini, AKA manager and Vth Season founder Raphael Benza, Paradise Distribution CEO Ralph Boege, and SJ Nicholson, the creator of the Africa Rising Music Conference and known for her work with local artists such as Locnville and Mi Casa. More information here.

Nicholson clarified the selection criteria for the ten artists who will be chosen to take part in the Paradise Sound System.

“Selection will be made based on the strength of the material submitted via the above online form taking into account the artists sound, exciting online content, originality of the music and existing following,” she said.

“No matter how big or small, the idea behind Paradise Sound System is to find untapped talent and amplify their strategy with the strength of our international label expertise and team based in Berlin.”

For more info, email info@armcollectiv.com or visit here.

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