1) Battle Of The Gigs
2) "If Beethoven Was Alive Today, He'd Be A Video Game Composer"
3) Intellectual Property : Clearing The Murky Waters
4) Scoping Project (Research And Problem Solving)

Battle Of The Gigs

Battle Of The Gig's aims at searching for young and creative industry talent for the live music industry. 

It has been observed that an artists largest potential revenue stream will come from  live music considering the decline of CD sales. It is thus vital that a new generation of creative minds are nurtured, to take on current challenges facing the Western Cape's live music scene as well as pose creative solutions to define the future of this industry.

Peter Theunissen CEO of Cape MIC states that: “ Most of us are aware that the Western Cape region has an abundance of musical talent. We do however fall short when it comes to the skills and expertise required to turn this talent into a sustainable commercial contribution to the economy of the region. In Europe, for the first time in many years, the 2008 revenue from live performances was greater than direct revenue from recoded music. This growth in the popularity of live performances contrasted with the diminishing direct revenue from recorded music is a worldwide trend which, luckily is good news for the Western Cape region.

Industries such as Tourism and Film/TV are two very vibrant growing industries, which can be leveraged by adding valuable contributions from a local perspective.Within both these industries, tremendous opportunity exists, but this can only happen if we train people with the correct skills set and experience. It is part of Cape MIC’s responsibility to turn this situation around to the benefit of the local industry.”

How does the competition work?

Cape MIC are collecting application forms from all over the Western Cape, from candidates who wish to be involved in the live music industry. 
Out of all applications Cape MIC will select worthy candidates which will be invited for a one on one interview.

Out of the interview process, 20 candidates will be selected to go through to the next phase. 

The successful 20 candidates will have 2 intensive weeks of training by industry professionals in their respective fields.

The 20 lucky candidates will be selected to partake in an intensive three day workshop with experts in the live music industry. After the intensive workshop 10 candidates will be selected.  These candidates will be given a challenge to put on a live performance working as the Cape MIC live music industry Crew,  where they will be mentored by Industry professionals throughout the process. Scholarships and further internships will be allocated according to candidates ability in their specific discipline, their ability to work as a team and display true creativity and entrepreneurship. Cape MIC will guide their process of entry into the music industry and monitor their growth in their respective fields.

We at Cape MIC are dedicated to placing candidates in an environment that will develop their skills and enhance their potential career as the future of the live music industry. 

Who can enter?

In order to enter you have to:

• Have a passion for music and the music industry.
• Know how to work with others as a team.
• Be between the ages of 18-25.
• Be resident in the Western Cape
• Be a South African citizen

Application for the competition closes on 2010-01-13

APPLICATION FORMS CAN BE FOUND ON THE CAPE MIC WEBSITE  www.capemic.co.za, SEE BELOW FOR THE SIGNUP LINK.

A FORM CAN ALSO BE COLLECTED AND FILLED OUT AT THE CAPE MIC OFFICES: 3rd FLOOR, 44 LONG STREET CAPE TOWN. 

Should you have any problem accessing a form, please contact the
Cape MIC Help Desk:

021- 422 2033
info@capemic.co.za

"If Beethoven Was Alive Today, He'd Be A Video Game Composer"

Tommy Tallarico (award winning gaming composer)

It seems to be pretty unanimously accepted that musicians can't rely on CD sales for much longer. In light of this everyone seems to be talking about either the ticket or the T-shirt as a musician’s new source of revenue, referring to live performances or merchandise. While this,  to a large extent may be true , it is certainly not where the big bucks are at. Film, gaming and movies, that's where we should be steering our attentions as composers. When we mention this to most people they appear to be vaguely interested and then almost in the same breath revert to discussing dropping their new album. Our question is dropping it where? Wake up!

We should think of music, film, television and videogames becoming one concentrated digital media industry with enough opportunities and new careers to keep anyone serious about making a living in this industry spoilt for choice. If you want to know more about the topic of music in film, we have a few workshops lined up that may be of interest...

The Cape Film Commision and Cape MIC present an Introduction to Film Workshop being held around the city in late February. Each of these workshops will consist of film making lectures several of which have to do with music and these will be presented by Cape MIC. The benfit to musicians and composers is two fold. Firstly it will show what goes into making a film or, indeed, a music video as well as begin the process of targeting films in their composition process and in composing directly for films.

If you would like to attend visit capemic.co.za and click on the Join Our Workshops link and signup for the appropriate workshop. The closing date for the 22nd of February workshop is the 20th of February. Each subsequent workshops signups will close a few days before the time.
Please see an outline of the workshop topics below.

DURATION: 1 DAY (08H30 – 17H00)
22 February: CT CBD – RUNWAY Film Resource Centre
1 March: Khayelitsha – Look Out Hill
8 March: Mitchells Plain – Youth and Family Development Centre Tafelsig
15 March Ocean View/ Masipumelelo and Muizenberg – Lavender Hill Community Centre
23 March Stellenbosch – Kayamandi Tourism Corridor

8:30-9:00 Introduction
Shooting a movie, any movie, goes through a structural pattern, and this overview will lay out the steps involved – from script to screen.

9:00-9:30 The Film and Media Market
Understanding the market, the concept, marketing, sales and distribution process for bringing a creative idea from script to screen

9:30-10:00 The producer and the production team
From script acquisition, the casting of the leading roles, the hiring of the director and the search for finance and budgeting all are grist to the producer’s mill. Assisting the producer is the production team.

10:00-10:15 tea

10:15-10:45 Scriptwriting/Storytelling
This is where the movie starts, and you will be given a close-up view of the writer’s task.

10:45 - 11:15 The Director
The overall responsibility for the movie rests on the Director’s shoulders and the director’s function will be explained by a leading industry director.

11:15-11:45 The Actor
This is what it is all about, this is where the movie takes on life or dies, as prominent actor will explain.

11:45-12:15 Sound and Music for Film
Film sound is divided into two parts, sound recorded on set and the sound in post-production, music and sound effects and the final mix. A veteran sound engineer will explain this.

12:15-1:00 lunch

1:00-1:30 The Cinematographer
The camera records the visual impact of the movie – the set – the scenery – the costumes – the performers. The skill of the cameraman embraces lighting, composition, movement and interpretation.

2:00-2:30 The Editor
In the editing room, a fresh, new mind now looks at the movie, sometimes re-interpreting the script, often with surprisingly wonderful results.

2:00-2:30 Art
The Art department embraces the look of the production, and consists of the construction department, including painting and carpentry, wardrobe, props, make-up and hair.

2:30-2:45 tea

2:45-3:15 Finishing
Once the edit is locked, the sound is designed and the final mix of all sound effects, dialog, and music is carried out by the sound department. The movie is graded, colours are adjusted, and the look of the movie is determined.

3:15-3:45 Financial Assistance
How to access financial assistance in order to pay for studies

3:45-4:15 Studying Film
Careers and education available in the film industry

4:15-5:00 Networking

Intellectual Property : Clearing The Murky Waters

Download the "The Basics of Intellectual Property" booklet.

At an entry level the ‘industry’ in the music industry can seem confusing. Many of us involved have a limited knowledge about how to manage ourselves in relation to the business of music. Unfortunately it is this lack of perspective which often keeps individuals or organizations from reaching full financial and public potential.

To this end, Cape MIC has embarked on a series of projects aimed at educating the industry about how to best benefit from the available resources.

This first Cape MIC educational project is all about the evolving realm of Intellectual Property (IP).Simply put,  it’s about who owns what, and how much it’s worth.

The focus is to enable individuals, organizations and groups to make smarter business decisions regarding the protection of their IP and the subsequent expansion of their careers and businesses. Because no matter how talented you are, it’s hard to get ahead when you’re open to theft and exploitation. 

This project will help educate composers and those publishing and utilizing music compositions about what IP actually is, how best to safeguard it and how to ensure that  no copyright laws are violated or neglected on all sides of business and creative transactions. In addition, it clarifies how IP is converted into royalties, how royalties are distributed and how licenses for the use of music are purchased by those who wish to benefit from them.

Our IP project will:

• define the language and terminology typically used in the IP management practice, so that any person reading an IP related document can navigate the information with greater understanding.
• explain how copyright protection  works in the music industry in South Africa and internationally.
• define roles in the IP management process
• explain what, when and by whom one can expect to be paid (on average)*
• explain what one should be prepared to pay if wanting to use music commercially (on average)*
• answer commonly asked IP questions

This information will be put into :

1) a question and answer series from our Music Business Development Centre. The help desk’s motto is : ask us anything.

2) a simple IP user’s manual available in print and/or web on request.

3) education and problem-solving workshops with collection houses, publishers, lawyers and composers to clarify pressing issues and highlight new ideas in the field.

4) updated curriculums for music and music business educators to ensure learning institutions have access to the most relevant and recent information regarding IP developments.

* “on average” here means relative to IP practice, local and/or international accreditation and industry norms.

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Scoping Project (Research And Problem Solving)

FILL IN OUR QUESTIONNAIRE
“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has the data”
- Sherlock Holmes

The music industry is changing faster than anyone ever imagined. With new emergences and technologies it is virtually impossible to constantly have a finger on the pulse, and not keeping up with changes really pushes our buttons.
Although there is a vast amount of research available on the music industry already, at Cape MIC we believe there is a lot more that needs to be done to keep up with it.

There are articles, reports and databases available in all mediums, yet there is no central portal of information for the Western Cape that covers all genres of music across the province and/or all levels of involvement within the music industry. In addition, one must recognize that pockets of knowledge and involvement do not comprise the music industry as a whole.

We believe that having access to relevant individuals and their contact details already increases an industry player’s scope for development. But further than just mapping out contact details, what we’re really doing is mapping problems, perceptions and ideas. Ultimately, this lets us understand the industry with all of its complexities and will hopefully simplify it for you. 

We strive to:

• provide constantly updated,  relevant information that enables the industry to make informed business choices and identify new possibilities for development, education and audience activation.
• encourage and enable face-to-face networking to energize and manifest the research project. This means personally meeting with you, whatever role you play in the industry, and hearing what you think.
• connect you to everyone else relevant to your involvement in music. This contributes to creating an increasingly self-aware industry that can solve its own problems through collaboration and innovation.

The Scoping Project’s building blocks are:

Thread  

Thread is a research and strategic team that strives to facilitate the research process for the Western Cape Music Industry scoping project. Backed by the mentorship and methodology of Elizabeth Dostall,  the co-founder of Biomatrix Systems Theory for societal and organizational development, Thread are on the ground  furiously gathering as much information and insight as possible to infuse a variety of our projects with relevant information and depth of perspective.   

You  

Next time someone tells you to stop complaining, think of us. You have no idea how valuable your feelings and perceptions on the challenges in this issue are – both for your involvement, and for the angles you bring to the functioning of the industry. The more information, ideas, and frustrations we hear from you, the more healthily we can help the industry grow.  So go on, complain to us!

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