Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
YouTube Music has collaborated with The Sarz Academy to train emerging producers and songwriters in Nigeria as part of a series of initiatives commemorating Africa Month 2022.
The training is part of YouTube’s Future Insiders program and will be a three-day training series designed to help young producers and songwriters build their skills and abilities through hands-on training from famous music and industry leaders.
Speaking on this, Mr Osabuohien Osaretin, popularly known as Sarz, founder of the Sarz Academy said, “We founded the Sarz Academy in 2015 to help creatives thrive in the creative and business of entertainment.
“Our objective has always been to help turn the enormous potential that exists in the music creative space into genuine accomplishments.
“We recognize that, although many young Nigerians possess the necessary abilities for the industry, many are unable to create a successful music career owing to a lack of grasp of the business and production foundations.”
Business Post had earlier reported that a series of activities commemorating Africa Month will take place throughout the month of May.
The initiatives, including the Future Insiders’ workshop, are meant to bring attention to and show appreciation for the artists and creatives who are moving Africa’s music business forward.
On her part, Addy Awofisayo, YouTube’s Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa explained, “At YouTube, we’ve always been committed to supporting the next generation of music creatives out of Africa, and we are thrilled at the opportunity to connect the impactful work of the YouTubeBlackVoices Fund with The Sarz Academy’s efforts to support the artistic aspirations of Nigerian music creatives.”
Future Insiders is a component of the Black Voices Fund’s Music Community Pillar, which provides possibilities for exposure and learning for young people all across the world.
It has collaborated with community-oriented groups in New York, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Rio de Janeiro, Houston, Atlanta, London, Lagos, Accra, and now Memphis.
In addition to technical production and business sessions, selected participants will access one-on-one sessions with YouTube to learn how to connect and use the platform to drive the best engagement, as well as learn about all the essential tips such as creating and developing their brands, self-marketing, building positive artist and producer relationships, and revenue streams to consider.
Also commenting, the General Secretary of Sarz Academy, Ms Olajumoke Olayiwola, explained that “the 2022 Future Insiders program will focus on the business and production sides of music, with the primary objective of assuring that new producers do not make the same errors as previous generations.
“This level of success demonstrates that we are on the right route, and we look forward to furthering sessions, the development of new hit-making producers, and the expansion of the Academy to more countries.”
The Masterclass will be held at Ogidi Studios from May 25-27 2022, with attendees able to network and ask facilitators questions about the music industry.
Interested participants can apply via the website https://www.thesarzacademy.com/
