Music Business Talks To Kick-Off AFRIMA 2016

By Dipo Olowookere

Momentum is gathering ahead of the 2016 All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) and organisers will for the first time introduce a think-tank for Africa’s music economic development.

The event tagged, Africa Music Business Roundtable (AMBR 2016), holding at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Friday, November 4, will strategise on the structure of the music industry in Africa, while charting a way forward for development.

The Africa Music Business Roundtable promises to be an innovative platform for business networking and interaction among music professionals, music executives, government officials and other stakeholders in the music, media and financial sectors of Africa and the world at large, the organisers said.

This brainstorming session is designed to give insight into the unexplored and ill-exploited economic values of African music.

Confirmed panellists for the roundtable include Head, Culture Department, AUC, Angela Martins (Mozambique); Acting Director, Africa, ONE Campaign, Nachilala Nkombo (South Africa); CEO, PHAT Music Publishing, Mike Strano (Kenya); Rapheal Benza, CEO, Vth Season Record Company (South Africa); CEO, BBlack TV, David Monsoh (France); Partner, Olajide Oyewole LLP, Sandra Oyewole (Nigeria); CEO, Knitting Factory Records, Rikki Stein (UK); Music Executive & Artist, Nde Ndifonka (Cameroon); Veteran music artiste, Reggie Rockstone, (Ghana); Founder, Felabration, Dancer & Choreographer, Yeni Kuti (Nigeria); Chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria, COSON, Tony Okoroji (Nigeria); Director of Programmes, Cameroon Radio & TV, CRTV, Robert Ekukole (Cameroon); Music & Artistic Director, Hit Radio, Omar Es Saidi (Morocco); Founder, Bavent Street Integrated Services Ltd, Hakeem Condotti (Nigeria) and Veteran artist & Music Professor, Jimmy Dludlu (South Africa), among others.

Also debuting at AFRIMA 2016 programme is the Africa Music Village, which also kicks off the same day.

The one-day AFRIMA Music Village is a festival type event with performances by top African artistes and AFRIMA 2016 nominees. This event is free to those wearing the AFRIMA T-shirt which is available through www.ariiyatickets.com

As part of the tourism millage, artistes and participants to attend the awards will also have a taste of the new Lagos in a guided tour of Eko Atlantic City, popularly called the Eighth Wonder of the World.

The tour will also include the Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos which houses relics of the slave trade/Nigeria’s struggles for Independence and a few other historic places in the city of Lagos.

The grand finale, the awards night, comes up on Sunday November 6, with thousands of guests expected in Lagos from across Africa and the world. The event will hold inside the prestigious Convention Centre of the Eko Hotels & Suites.

All Africa Music Awards is tailored to recognise and reward those who have given African Music the most creative competitive edge in the global market within the year under review. Over 154 nominees are campaigning for votes from the public for the various categories of awards.