Above: Partners of the Festival Enterprise Catalyst 

Concerts SA is excited to announce the 2024 callout for mobility subsidies for live music touring efforts in the southern African region. 

This callout was made possible through the efforts of the Festival Enterprise Catalyst (FEC) collective comprising the National Arts Festival, Concerts SA, SAMRO, NATi, the Tribuo Fund, the Klein Karoo Kunstefees, Aardklop, Woordfees, and Suidoosterfees. Together, the FEC has secured support from the National Treasury’s Jobs Fund to ensure that cultural work opportunities and mobility are encouraged and sustained. For more about the FEC click here.

After 10 years of high impact projects, Concerts SA (CSA) - administered by IKS Cultural Consulting - is the leading live music support programme in southern Africa. Supported by founding partners SAMRO and the Norwegian Embassy, amongst others, Concerts SA’s subsidies have supported more than 3862 concerts over the past decade, roughly translating into more than one concert per day.

Concerts SA is offering up to 60 Music Mobility Subsidies for live music touring in South Africa and the southern African region. Music industry professionals from all genres may apply for support of reasonable costs up to a maximum of R45 000 related to the tour, including:

• Artist Fees 
• Technical Support Fees (Audio, Visual etc)
• Equipment rental (not purchase of equipment)
• Transport Costs
• Accommodation
• Venue Costs
• Artist & Crew Catering / Per Diems
• Rehearsal Costs (venue, artist fees, technical)

The subsidies have strict requirements: 

1.) Tours must take place within the Project Implementation Period:  1 February 2025 to 30 April 2025.

2.) Applicants must be a South African citizen, or resident in South Africa with a valid work permit. 

3.) Applicants must have an up-to-date listing with a detailed portfolio on www.musicinafrica.net

4.) Preference will be given to applications that include:

a.)South African Tours: a minimum of two live music concerts which must take place in at least two provinces. This could include the province you reside in and another province,

OR

b.) SADC Tours: at least one live music concert in a SADC country* other than South Africa. Participation in either a music workshop/discussion or an additional live performance will be advantageous. 

*SADC Countries:  Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

5.) The FEC is about the creation of jobs and work.  Applicants will be required to outline the number of paid work opportunities that their project will create. These can include musicians, technical teams, production support, etc.

6.) Applicants will be required to provide evidence of communication with the venues where they will perform, and include as evidence:

a.) a supporting letter from the venue

b.) South African venues’ licensing compliance with SAMRO. (If the venue is not licensed, inform the venue to apply for a license at lesego.maforah@samro.org.za)

7.) Successful applicants will be required to commit to the stringent reporting requirements of the project’s stakeholders. (A preliminary guide can be found here)

Please note that preference will be given to:

• Applications from Full and Associate Members of SAMRO,
• Applicants who will be presenting original music works,
• Applicants who coincide their tours with outreach efforts to public spaces like schools, hospitals, old age homes, airports, taxi ranks, prisons, etc…

Securing additional partnerships/sponsorships for touring is encouraged. Applicants must disclose existing partners at the time of application, before concluding any further agreements. This is to prevent conflicts of interest with CSA and its stakeholders.

Only online applications will be accepted.

The closing date for applications is 8pm on Sunday 10 November 2024

For queries / more information, please email fec@concertssa.co.za

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