Submit your Music Tour Support Application to Concerts SA Today!
This tour support mechanism offers opportunities for South Africa-based creatives to undertake live music tours in Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. The fund provides support for live music performances, collaborations and performance-based workshops.
Following the success of the ten previous rounds, applications are now open for the second iteration of Music Mobility Fund disbursements this year. The deadline for submissions is midnight Sunday 16th September and tours should take place between the end of October 2018 and the end of May 2019.
South Africa-based music professionals are eligible to apply for tour support, which includes a financial grant, technical assistance and media backing. The financial grant covers up to 80% of eligible costs for travel, transport, accommodation, per diems, technical costs, artwork design and printing, visas and administrative costs (up to R30 000 for national tours, and up to R45 000 for SADC regional tours). Assessment criteria are based on the relevance and innovation of the project, the viability and feasibility of the tour plan, the track record of the artists involved and the quality of their music, and the budget and cost effectiveness.
Since being initiated in 2013 by The SAMRO Foundation and The British Council, the Music Mobility Fund has received around a thousand applications and supported almost two hundred tours for artists and bands like Tu Nokwe, The Muffinz, Samthing Soweto, Msaki and Femi Koya.
More than 700 musicians have successfully toured across the 9 South African provinces as well as 10 other countries in southern Africa (Botswana, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia and Madagascar), playing more than 800 shows to over 50 000 people- spanning genres from jazz to indigenous music, from folk to hip-hop, from gqom to punk-rock.
Through the Mobility Fund, Concerts SA works as a full-on tour collaborator, acting as financial partner, technical advisor and media advocate. Supported tour leaders have stressed that having the support of the Mobility Fund has facilitated the development of their creative work while on tour. It has allowed their creative integrity and freedom to remain intact while reaching and gaining bigger (national and / or transnational) audiences, it has opened up doors for collaborations with artists and spaces, and it has created future booking opportunities.
Cape Town-based electronic musicians Doowap and K-$ recently completed a regional tour. Doowap says:
“Music is pure love filled magic; that allows individuals to dream, feel joy, co-exist and be united in a safe space. Thanks to Concerts SA we were able to share this magic across borders.”
Tour manager and Black Major director Sevi Spanoudi says:
“The Doowap K-$ tour was yet another successful partnership with Concerts SA. This funding is not only making it possible to perform, but to create new relationships, networks and fans in new territories. This tour was a great success for us and attracted a lot of work for both artists.”
Among the projects that may be financed are tours and concerts, including regional, national or provincial tours, as well as performances at festivals and showcases. The Music Mobility Fund also funds artistic collaborations among musicians based in different provinces of South Africa or SADC countries. Each project must be between four days and three months in duration.
National Projects
Artists from all provinces are invited to apply for national projects taking place in any South African province(s). The bulk of the budget must be allocated to activities taking place outside the province where the artist is based. Applicants may request up to R30 000.
Regional Projects
Regional projects must take place in one or more of the following SADC countries: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. While activities in South Africa may be included as part of regional projects, the bulk of the budget must be allocated to activities taking place outside South Africa. Applicants will need to conduct their own research and have identified and communicated with a potential partner or host. The partner may be an individual or organisation and must be an established musician or music professional, and must be based in the SADC country (or countries) where the project will take place. Applicants may request up to R45 000.
Application process
After reading and understanding the Call for Proposals, applicants must complete the Online Application Form in English, and submit it on https://bit.ly/2wgHZUt by midnight Sunday 16th September 2018, including the following mandatory documents: legal documentation of the applicant (ID/passport copy for individuals and organisation representatives; company registration documents); track record (biography, EPK, CV, press coverage, web links, evidence of recognition awards, public appearances, etc.); budget of the project (including projected income and expenditure); and a calendar of activities with tour schedule. SADC regional projects must include a letter or email from the local host confirming their support and involvement.
Applicants are encouraged to use the Concerts SA Venue Map (www.concertssa.co.za/venues-map) and the Concerts SA Live Music Toolkit (www.concertssa.co.za/downloads/live-music-toolkit) in the preparation of your tour.
Enquiries should be submitted by email to concertssa@samro.org.za. For more information, visit http://concertssa.co.za, follow @ConcertsSA on Twitter (www.twitter.com/ConcertsSA) or like Concerts SA on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ConcertsSA).
About SAMRO Foundation
The SAMRO Foundation promotes the national arts through sponsorships of various kinds and aims to encourage excellence in the arts through education, the facilitation of economic participation in the creative economy, and influencing cultural and arts policy by means of research and advocacy as well as promoting living cultural heritage. Visit www.samrofoundation.org.za, follow @SAMROFoundation on Twitter (http://twitter.com/SAMROFoundation) or like The SAMRO Foundation on Facebook (facebook.com/SAMROFoundation).
About Concerts SA
Concerts SA is a joint South African/Norwegian initiative housed under the auspices of the Stakeholder Hub within the SAMRO Foundation; it receives financial, administrative and technical support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the SAMRO Foundation and Kulturtanken. The project aims to support live music in South Africa by finding and implementing ways to create a vibrant and viable live music circuit. It also aims to develop an interest in and appreciation of live music by showcasing music performances and conducting workshops at schools. For more information please visit our website http://concertssa.co.za, follow @ConcertsSA on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ConcertsSA or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ConcertsSA.
