Top speakers at Breathe Sunshine Engage

It's rare to get up close and personal with SA's leading artists, so most of us are excited to hear opinions from Euphonik, HHP, DJ Zinhle, The Parlotones' Khan Morbee, and Black Coffee.

Australian electronic due The Presets have agreed to pop over before their set at Vodacom In The City. This hugely popular act will share their insights on how to break out of small geographical territories, how they tour to other countries and what challenges they've faced.

International booking agents from the UK's Coda Music Agency, Paul Buck and James Whitting, will explain best practice for booking international artists for South African events. Coda looks after: Imagine Dragons, Ellie Goulding, Bastille, Rudimental, Disclosure, The XX, The Vaccines, Bon Iver, John Newman, Jay Electronica, Jamie Woon, Faithless, Macy Grey, Mr Scruff and new teenage sensation Jake Bugg, among others.

DJs and labels are most keen to hear Beatport's Vice-President of Music Services Terry Weerasinghe's keynote address. Hailing from Berlin, Weerasinghe will chat about the boom in dance music worldwide and how Africa can tap into it.

SA's very own Gareth Cliff will talk about the future of radio in South Africa and his experience launching his own online radio portal, CliffCentral.

In addition to the two keynote addresses, there will be two panel discussions: one on 'The Management Vacuum in the African Music Industry' and the other focusing on 'Taking South African House Music Global', which will be presented by Soul Candi.

Win a Digital Music Bursary

Soul Candi has taken their involvement one step further by offering up a fantastic prize. By buying a ticket to the conference, you could win a R26,000 bursary towards the Soul Candi Institute of Music's "Digital Music Composition and Production" short learning programme in 2015, offered at selected Boston City Campus & Business Colleges.

Andre Le Roux, the MD of the SAMRO Foundation will open the conference and the following industry professionals will join the aforementioned artists on the panels: Sipho Sithole - Chairman of Moshito and founder of Native Rhythms (Zuluboy, The Soil); Graeme Gilfillan - Nisa Global Entertainment; Zakes Bantwini - Head of A&R Sony; Greg Walsh - MD of G&G Productions; Raphael Benza - AKA Management; Refiloe Ramogase - Dreamteam Management; Franie Kotze - Clear Entertainment; Amaru da Costa - Soulistic; Allan Nicoll - Soul Candi; Nomndeni Mdakhi - Edits Communications (Kalawa Jazzmee); DJ Clock - AM-PM Productions; Jullian Gomes, Kavir Magan - Pulse Radio - and more.

Music fans based in Cape Town can catch Weerasinghe doing a Master Class at SAE Institute Cape Town as part of the newly launched Cape Town Music Week. Go to www.capetownmusicweek.com for updates and additional details.

Industry professionals heading to Hamburg's Reeperbahn Festival (Europe's largest music conference) in September can experience the Breathe Sunshine delegation hosting two panels on the African music industry and a showcase celebrating 20 years of democracy.

The BSE event founders Black Mango and their partners Seed Experiences thank SAE Institute, Red Bull Studios and Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) for their support.

Tickets:

• R195: Full day ticket;
  
• R595: Combination ticket for Breathe Sunshine Engage and Vodacom In The City

www.breathesunshineconference.com/engage-tickets