CAPASSO partners with Muserk on global digital collections
South Africa-based mechanical rights society the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association (CAPASSO) has partnered with technology-driven global music rights administrator Muserk to strengthen its international reach in digital royalty collection.
Through the partnership, Muserk will collect CAPASSO’s mechanical rights in North America from digital platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Pandora, Tidal and Deezer, as well as YouTube in Brazil and Canada.
The partnership will serve to strengthen both companies’ positions within the global online music business with CAPASSO and its members gaining access to Muserk’s proprietary and scalable precision technology, which offers end-to-end services and exposes important revenue streams.
“The partnership will ensure that more artists within the African markets will see more revenue in less time, and reflect the multiple uses that have grown immensely in recent years,” a press statement reads.
CAPASSO CEO Jotam Matariro said: “CAPASSO seeks to grow the collection and distribution of digital royalties from its members not only in South Africa and the rest of the African continent, but also globally.
“In light of the increased international spotlight on African music, it is imperative to our members that the management of African musical works improves so that authors, composers and publishers collect all of the royalties that they have earned, quickly and transparently.
“Partnering with Muserk, with their proprietary technology, and its passionate team, will go far towards helping CAPASSO attain that goal.”
According to the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers’ (CISAC’s) 2019 Global Collections Report, Africa reported a 32.5% growth in digital royalty collections in 2018, which could be bolstered further by the new partnership.
Source: musicafrica.net
Call for applications: DJ workshop for women in Uganda
Goethe Zentrum Kampala in collaboration with Femme Electronic, a platform for female DJs and electronic music producers in East Africa, is calling on female DJs and producers in Uganda to register for a workshop taking place on 29 January.
The Femme Electronic workshop is intended to provide insight into the music business by tapping into the knowledge and experience of established DJs and producers. There is no participation fee charged.
Some of the topics to be covered will look at the history of electronic music, women in electronic music, and an introduction to DJ equipment and music production.
The facilitators are DJs Rachael (Uganda), The Cee (Uganda) and M3 (Kenya). The workshop will take place from 9.30am to 5.30pm.
Interested individuals can register by sending a letter of motivation and details about the equipment they have available (laptop, turntables, etc.) to racquelk2002@yahoo.com and brenda.ibarah@gmail.com.
The application deadline is 25 January.
About Femme Electronic
Femme Electronic is an initiative of Goethe Zentrum Kampala, Santuri Safari and DJ Rachael. It aims to connect East African women in the field of electronic music to create a strong network of mutual support and introduce them to the various techniques of deejaying and music production.
Participants are usually taken through training, workshops, mentorships, showcases, residencies and events aimed at addressing the severe gender imbalance in the East African music industry and the electronic music scene in particular.
Source: musicafrica.net
Herri: A lens you can focus yourself
What do songs, lyrics and instruments from ancient indigenous cultures have in common with multimedia and the Internet? Perhaps the latter is the most apt medium to present and preserve the former. Curator Aryan Kaganof’s first edition of herri is a website redolent with images, songs, videos, writing, artworks and poems that provide an in-depth, colourful and absorbing exploration of traditional musician Matombi Matotiyana and the release of her first album, Songs of Greeting, Healing and Heritage.
It’s the navigation of herri that makes it unique: it’s totally up to you. The site has a red dot to click on, and a couple of red arrows, but where you go from there depends entirely on what grabs your interest. You may find yourself reading a text; then choose to do so accompanied by a music clip; then elect to watch a video that has appeared as you scroll down. Your senses are tantalised while your intellect is stimulated.
“The design team has been tremendously important in working together to forge a visual identity that is distinctive and immersive. Kudos to Tšepo Ntsukunyane, whose illustrations have formed the backbone of the first issue, and Andrea Rolfes, who worked tirelessly to find a visual language appropriate to the project’s ambitions,” Aryan says.
What/who is herri?
I like to immerse myself in whatever it is I write about before I sit before the computer, but realised after much immersion that herri is a truly enormous smorgasbord of information. Slightly overwhelmed, I asked Aryan what herri is, so he directed me to the ‘about’ section on the site, which reads: “herri is an attempt to answer the question, ‘what does decolonisation look like in this age of hybridity?’ We discovered that there is not just one answer. herri is a soundmine of narratives, mythologies, ideologies, statements, ambiguities and ideas just waiting to be excavated. herri is merely one option among many. Discontinuity is the continuity. Disconnection is the connection. Incoherence is the coherence.”
When I replied that this was a bit obscure for the average reader, and that I was trying to get an idea of where herri’s boundaries lie, he answered: “The focus will always be music first. That is to say, music that is geographically South African. But, for example, in the first issue there was a page on Moor Mother, and in the second issue there will be a feature on Jlin. So we basically also look at artists who are doing really challenging, interesting and formally ground-breaking experiments in music, irrespective of whether they are from South Africa or not.”
He also told me who the site is named after. “The name Herri is inspired by the first political prisoner to be jailed on Robben Island, Autshumao or Herri die strandloper [Herri the beach walker]. The spelling of ‘Herri’ as opposed to ‘Herrie’ is a decolonial orthography decision – we do not believe that the Dutch spelling of the sound ‘herri’ is necessary, and, inspired by the way SMS messages have influenced the orthography of contemporary Afrikaaps, we have decided to use herri as a flag signalling a de-linking from conventional colonial spelling. Herri the freedom fighter is inspiring, because he actually escaped from Robben Island.”
Read more here:
Source: musicafrica.net
Sony Music hosts industry event in Accra
The West African arm of Sony Music recently held a networking event at the Woods Lounge in Accra, Ghana.
Ko-Jo Cue was at the Sony Music event in Accra, Ghana.
According to Graphic Online, the session was attended by key Ghanaian music industry stakeholders, including 3Music Awards founder Sadiq Abdulai Abu, artist manager Fui Tsikata and rappers Ko-Jo Cue and Kirani Ayat, among others.
The publication said that a Sony Music West Africa executive had revealed that the company was planning to set up a state-of-the-art studio in Ghana and sign a number of artists in the country. The company is already working with the likes of Davido, Wizkid and AKA.
During the even in Accra, singer Amaarae moderated a panel discussion featuring Ghanaian music video director David Nicol-Sey, executive vice-president of A&R at RCA Records Tunji Balogun, music journalist Stephanie Smith-Strickland and music and editorial general manager at Trace West Africa Lanre Masha. The discussion centred around how to get music by African artists on the international scene.
YFM Ghana presenter Kojo Manuel hosted a Q&A with Davido about his deal with Sony Music and the impact it has had on his career.
The curator of the event, Amarachi Nwosu of Melanin Unscripted, outlined possible takeaways for the event’s audience and commended Ghanaian artists for “creating an incredible sound” that “is almost nostalgic”.
“We need to build our own community, we need to have our own conversations for evolution to take place,” the Nigerian-American Nwosu, who is a photographer, visual artist, filmmaker and writer, said.
“Great ideas come when we communicate. I think more conversations need to be had. Mentorship is necessary, that is why this event is taking place. This is access that people don’t always get but what you take from this is that, ‘okay there is a structure you can learn from’.”
Source: musicafrica.net
Spotify now has playlists for your dog, your cat and even your hamster
Spotify wants your pet to listen to music too
If you’ve ever felt guilty about leaving your dog home alone, Spotify may be able to salve your conscience — by bringing out a podcast and range of playlists aimed at soothing lonely pets.
The Swedish audio streaming site, which has 113 million subscribers, has launched a range of “algorithmically curated” pet playlists and a new podcast intended to calm dogs left on their own.
Spotify News
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@SpotifyNews
Did you know 69% of pet owners sing to their pets? TBH, we’re not that surprised. These stats are barking good. 🐶 #SpotifyPets https://buff.ly/30mUgoM
Spotify Has the Pawfect Playlist for You And Your Pet — Spotify
There is something uniquely special about the relationship we humans have with our pets—it’s one filled with unconditional love, licks, snuggles, and cuddles. It’s hard to put into words the emotion…
The playlists are based on subscribers’ own musical tastes and pet species, while the “My Dog’s Favourite Podcast” has been created with animal experts to “help alleviate stress,” Spotify said.
Spotify reveals the most popular artists of the decade
Spotify reveals the most popular artists of the decade
The podcast runs in two five-hour stretches and features reassuring human voices, relaxing music and ambient sounds, including rain.
The routine health screening that’s helping people stay healthier for longer.
It is voiced by British actors Ralph Ineson and Jessica Raine, whom your dog may remember from the HBO series “Game of Thrones” and BBC period drama “Call The Midwife,” respectively.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the UK’s largest animal welfare charity, said it supported the podcast — though it warned that nothing could “ever replace the company and presence” of a dog’s owner.
Read more here:
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/15/tech/spotify-launches-pet-playlists-scli-intl/index.html
Source: CNN.com
