The numbers are in and the Moshito Music Conference and Exhibition is reflecting on another successful outing that has seen the annual event cement its standing as Africa’s premier music industry event.

Now in its sixth year, Moshito 09 drew close to 500 delegates a day throughout its four days at Museum Africa in Newtown, Johannesburg.  Save for the Northern Cape, there was representation from all nine provinces, Africa, Europe, Australia, North America and South America.

The official programme featured 20 international speakers and a host of South African contributors who gave their input on many of the key issues facing the South African music industry, including how to grow digital music sales in South Africa, exporting domestic music internationally, meeting piracy head on and stimulating the live music scene in South Africa and Africa.

Moshito itself proved a key factor in the latter, hosting 60 showcases that featured close to 250 artists drawn from throughout South Africa and the continent including a number of acts impacting on the global stage, like Blk Jks, Bakithi Khumalo and Etran Finatawa.

What was also particularly striking about Moshito 09 were the number of free masterclasses and workshops on offer that provided an important complement to the formal conference programme running at Museum Africa.

These educational elements to this year’s Moshito go a long way to fulfilling Moshito’s mandate to significantly increase skills in the South African music industry and included the Hands On Mic Off! workshops presented by Business and Arts South Africa with the support of the Cultural Development Trust.

Run free for registered and non-registered Moshito delegates at the Market Theatre, these workshops culminated in the awarding of an Cultural Entrepreneurship Incubator Mentorship valued at R25,000.00 to Ernest Gololo of the Diepkloof-based ‘Slaghuis’ Hip Hop company

The 2009 Moshito Masterclasses, supported by the National Arts Council (NAC) and held at the Bassline, were also open to all and featured expert input by globally-revered South African bassist Bakithi Khumalo on a rare visit to his home country, Grammy Award-winning producer, Kevin Bond and award-winning engineer and producer, Ian Osrin.

Another exciting aspect of Moshito 09 was the very visible linkages between Moshito Music Conference and Exhibition and key organisations and events on the global music scene.

 

Chief among these was the presence of Equations Musique, which gave life to Moshito’s aim to be the portal into the African music business through its Exhibition stand, fascinating session during Moshito’s main programme and live showcase performances.

Equations Musique is an innovative approach to creating linkages between African music industry players – producers, educators, festival organisers, label owners and artist managers from, among others, Senegal, South Africa, Mauritius, Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya and Mauritius are all part of this initiative. Equations Musique is supported by Cultures France and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie which were part of a high-level French delegation at Moshito 09.

Also playing an important role in this year’s event were representatives from Austin, Texas’s highly successful South By Southwest Festival, including Mirko Whitfield, as well as Midem which in 2010 will be hosting South Africa as the country of honour.

 

Moshito 09 was used by many as a place to network and connect – and was also the place where multi Grammy Award-winning producer and engineer, ‘Commissioner’ Gordon Williams announced the formation of a South African-based label, studio and other elements. Called Muthaland, this partnership with Ghetto Ruff was reported in Billboard Magazine’s online website, further underscoring Moshito’s standing as a place where the business of music in Africa is made real.

 

“Now that we’ve had time to do the figures, we have no hesitation in saying that we are very pleased with the way Moshito ran this year,” says Moshito Chairman, Andre le Roux.

 

“Even in these tough economic times, we managed to attract a very solid delegate attendance and grew the number of exhibitors. What is especially heartening is how,  through strong and significant partnerships, Moshito is managing to fulfill the mandate given to it by the Department of Arts and Culture – and that is to provide a place where individuals, entrepreneurs and participants in the music industry sector can up their skills and make the kind of contacts necessary to take their businesses and careers to new heights. 

 

“We are confident that these new aspects of Moshito like the free Masterclasses and workshops and the live showcases can be further enhanced as we plan for the seventh year of this premier music industry event in 2010.”