Annual music conference on the cards
Staff Writer | Wednesday November 14, 2018 15:56
He is making final preparations for the fourth instalment of the annual Botswana International Music Conference (BIMC).
Founded in 2015, the flagship conference aims to expose music industry practitioners to the music business value chain and has over the years grown to become a pivotal platform for the advancement of the industry. This year’s conference will be held on November 28 to 30, 2018 at the Little Theatre, National Museum under the theme, ‘The Long Walk to Change: A re Chencheng’.
The conference usually attracts various players in the music industry, including radio and TV presenters, artists, managers, A&R, record label executives, regulators, online music marketers, promoters, DJs as well as stakeholders like COSBOTS, BOMU and the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development.
“We have something for everyone. This years’ conference aims to change the way music practitioners view the industry. It’s a fact that the industry has grown over the years, both in terms of returns and competition. Sadly such growth has not trickled down to the artists. It is only a few who are growing while others are lagging behind. Therefore BIMC wants to teach music practitioners about the business of music. They have to treat music like a business and seriously invest in their brands. That’s the only way they can make a living out of music,” Modibe said.
This year’s conference will attract a limited number of delegates because the organisers want it to be an intimate affair that allows for direct interaction between attendants and speakers.
“We have a powerful lineup of speakers who ply their trade throughout the music industry value chain. We have record label executives, promoters, event organisers and even regulators from a number of African countries such as Uganda, South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Kenya. We want attendants to interact with these people freely and ask questions in a relaxed atmosphere. Everyone must come out of the conference with something to take home and implement for the betterment of the industry,” Modibe said.