Music: our aim is to build talents of local and international reputation, says Olukayode
Segun Showunmi in Ibadan
The President and Chief Strategy Officer of KAM Africa Group (Media & Tech), Adebayo Olukayode has disclosed that one of the aims of the group was to build talents that will be of local and international reputation.
Penpushing reports that Olukayode made this known during a virtual Press Conference on Amfest Africa Music Professionals Incubation Project, titled: “Music vs Virus Africa Challenge”, which was powered by Amfest Creative and Arts Foundation.
The group boss who is passionate about the growth of the African Creative Economy stated that the reason why putting the conference together was to allow African creative industry professionals (Music, Film, Fashion, Culinary, Arts and Tech) to properly receive financial and economic rewards for their creations like their western country counterparts, adding that they would also gain recognition internationally, and locally
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Penpushing further reports that, he noted that Amfest Africa Music Professionals Incubation Project, titled: “Music vs Virus Africa Challenge”, is not just a talent sourcing competition online across Africa, but rather a virtual training strategies that makes artist to business behind their craft, and get on the EP Album otherwise known as the LAVA, and able to practicalised what they have learn at the training program.
“Music vs virus competition is leveraging on technology around Africa, we were able to get a lot of African candidates, there is a process of competing and technology was used to get the audition online, we got four people within four African region to help with audition process, before the whole voting process went on where the winner eventually emerged.”
“This is an incubation project which is basically meant to incubate music artist, song writers, music producers and even animators, using the visual representation of what this project will be to leverage technology and to be able to distribute around Africa so that the artists will gain exposure and be able to learn.”
“We are building a technology product that will aid ecosystem building particularly the www.amfestconnect.com which is a networking platform for creative that are of African descent from all over the world, and we are bringing and creating other system that will make the industry to grow, we are building a video streaming platform that will help artist for them to monetized their materials, and to be able to create other values to the ecosystem.”
“Work has been done and we are still doing, local Nigeria first, what we were able to achieved in the international conference, in the regional conference, different practitioners were brought together across western region where Apala musicians, Juju musicians, Afro musicians, local DJs, Music video directors together, because we believe that these people that helps create the materials to gained more inspiration to be able to go international.”
Penpushing also reports that, Olukayode noted that a 3day virtual training process will be held between 26th – 28th June, 2020 which will ensure that all qualified musicians, songwriters and producers are bring together and train them about the workings of the music business locally and globally, adding that this would see the best minds from the music business value chain, coming to share their knowledge and experiences with the candidates during this period before they start on production of LAVA.
The President of the body added that onboard fresh but talented music producers, songwriters, music artistes from Anglophone, Francophone, Arabia an Lusophone Africa for a collaborative EP project by various artiste backed by a ‘The Making Documentary Project’, saying that they intends to creates 40million online impressions, and 3 million downloads.
“We have reached out to Africori Digital Services who recently sign a deal with Warner Music, also to Empawa project to help with digital distribution and monetization of the project.
“Some of our partners include: Goldrock Inc, USA, BEJIKA France, Men Art Work, Tenstrings Music Institute, News Agency of Nigeria, The Herald Newspaper, Radio E Online, while Music Production and Beats were contributed by Producers from Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Malawi, Rwanda and Uganda.”
“Influencers/Media Correspondence and Partners are from Ivory Coast, Swaziland,South Africa, Ghana, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe,Malawi,Cameroon,Kenya,Philippines,Togo,USA,Liberia,Egypt,Senegal, Sierra Leone, France.”
“We built these regional and international conferences (trainings) with the purpose of educating creative industry professionals about the business behind their talents, help them network locally and internationally for their business growth. It was also to give them local and international showcase opportunities, that will grow patronage for their enterprises.”
“These meetings have grown from local meetings and showcases into 4 meetings annually in 3 different regions of Africa. It has been hosted in Accra, Lagos, Rwanda, Dubai. Before the COVID-19 situation, plans were underway with different local partners to host a music concert in each city where the Amfest expo conferences will hold in 2020, this is to allow African music artistes to tour 4 different countries from 2020. This will help them gain a fanbase across Africa, to make it easy for them to monetize their music across different regions and cultures.”
