Wired for sound: an investigation into South African live music performance and the Johannesburg live music scene
Date
2010-09-06
Authors
Birkholtz, Kristel
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Abstract
The Development Works Report (2004:28) described the role played by live music
performers in the sub-Saharan region as a military force, a ‘musician corps’ of foot soldiers
out in the field of the music industry. Musicians have a vital role to play in defining the
industry in which they work. The phrase ‘musician corps’ (2004:28) implies a well-trained,
well-informed body of musicians, prepared for the terrain of the music industry. Locally this
corps was unfortunately a fragmented body of soldiers, often ill equipped for its task. As a
means to better understand how the South African musician corps was performing this vital
role of growing the local music industry, research was conducted via interviews and surveys
among local musicians in order to collaborate the experience of local performers. Other
sources consulted in this research process included local music business conferences and
reports and literature sources relevant to live music studies.
This research aimed to uncover the state of the local musician corps, to assess the level of
industry-relevant skills and knowledge that are required for effective troops and to reveal the
attitudes and activities of local musicians. Through this process of data gathering, the
question that this research aimed to uncover was whether or not local live performers were
sufficiently skilled to develop the live music sector.
The majority of the research findings were based on interviews and surveys conducted in the
city of Johannesburg.
Description
MMus, School of Music, Faculty of Humanities
Keywords
live music in South Africa, live music performance