ACCES has scheduled two days of music-business talks in Johannesburg on 29 and 30 October, alongside four evenings of live showcases. The programme brings artists, publishers, promoters and other industry professionals together to discuss rights, touring, investment and independent careers.
The Music In Africa Conference for Collaborations, Exchange and Showcases runs from 28 to 31 October. Its daytime conference takes place at The Forum, The Campus, in Bryanston, with evening performances spread across venues in the city.
Conference attendance is free, but registration is required. The Music In Africa Foundation, which produces the event with the City of Joburg, has made the evening Industry Nights separately ticketed. A conference pass does not include admission to those performances.
Thursday’s programme includes Independent Is the New Major, a discussion with South African artists Toss, Touchline and Mad Buddies. SlikourOnLife founder and chief executive Slikour is scheduled to moderate the session, which examines independent working across an artist’s career rather than simply the method used to release music.
The organisers say the discussion will consider the compromises involved in independence and how independent businesses can influence the wider industry. Other Thursday sessions address cross-border touring, Canada-Africa career links, radio exposure and digital innovation.
Friday’s timetable places intellectual property and music income among the central subjects. The session IP: Turning Rights into Revenue is scheduled to examine how artists, publishers, managers and other rights holders can develop income from their work and approach intellectual property as a business asset.
Its listed moderator is Indi Chawla of The Mechanical Licensing Collective. The panel includes representatives from SACEM, LyricFind, Seychelles’ National Arts Council and South Africa’s Academy of Sound Engineering.
A separate investment discussion is presented with the World Bank Group. The published programme lists Laurent Corthay as moderator, alongside speakers from the International Finance Corporation, The Malachite Group, Goethe-Institut and Africa Creative Agency.
That session is intended to examine what investors require, barriers to capital and how music businesses can prepare for investment. The announcement does not constitute a financing offer or promise funding to conference participants.
The Friday programme also includes a conversation with Sun-El Musician on developing a musical identity and legacy. Further sessions cover music publishing, monetisation and the development of music businesses beyond Africa’s largest cities.
The organisers have announced more than 80 musicians across the four Industry Nights. The line-up includes Sun-El Musician, Blick Bassy, The Joy, Sylent Nqo and the Noisemakers, Kelly Bado and Kizaba, among other artists from Africa and the diaspora.
The opening night is listed at The Artistry on 28 October. Untitled Basement is scheduled to host the second and third nights, with the closing programme at Jozi Gold on 31 October. These evening events are open to holders of the relevant tickets, subject to venue capacity.
ACCES is in its ninth edition and previously took place in Johannesburg in 2021. The foundation describes it as a trade event connecting music professionals, alongside opportunities to hear emerging and established performers.
Conference registration, individual Industry Night tickets and the dated timetable are available through the official ACCES website. Delegates are responsible for their own travel and accommodation unless separately agreed with the organisers.
Archive photograph: Blick Bassy performing with Romain Jovion and Arno de Cazanove at Le Rocher de Palmer, Cenon, France, December 2023. Photograph: Jefunky, Wikimedia Commons, CC0. Cropped and resized. Not the 2026 ACCES event. Source | CC0.
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