The government is to establish recording studios to help launch new music stars, the Department of Arts and Culture announced on Wednesday.
”The greatest single constraint on the launching of a musical career for the new artist is access to recording facilities,” said Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan at the launch of the Moshito Music Conference and Exhibition 2007 at MuseuMAfricA in Johannesburg.
He said the high costs of setting up well-equipped recording facilities make it a risky business venture.
”The [department] should absorb the risk by itself establishing a number of state-of-the-art recording studios in South Africa’s musical hot spots,” he said.
Jordan also encouraged the newly established Creative Workers’ Union to get a government loan to set up a recording studio and establish a record label. Together, the union and department could set up mobile studios in rural areas as well.
The minister said the South African music industry has the potential to become a major foreign-exchange earner and job creator.
”South Africa’s ‘entertainment’ industry is valued at approximately R7,4-billion. The cultural industries, what we mistakenly call entertainment, have globally emerged as important economic engines.
”We must therefore pay increasing attention to them so that they can assist [in] transform[ing] the social and economic landscape of the country,” said Jordan.
He also encouraged increasing unionisation in the music industry.
”The current situation in which performers are excluded from pensions, social security, unemployment benefit, health schemes and workers’ compensation is untenable in the long term,” he said. ”Only the organised strength of unionised creative people will bring it to an end.” — Sapa