Live music the best tonic for life
JAMMING to the live sounds of Mi Casa, Freshlyground or even AKA is likely to leave you happier and healthier.
This is according to a report, “It Starts with a Heartbeat”, by the South African-Norwegian live music development project, Concerts SA, which was launched in Durban on Friday.
Three years ago, the Norwegian embassy in Pretoria and Rikskonser-tene (Concerts Norway), in partnership with the Southern African Music Rights Organisation Foundation, created Concerts SA to promote live music in Southern Africa.
The work of freelance writer Gwen Ansell, the report says that attending or participating in a live music event brings people together, forging friendships and relationships, often across community barriers.
“It builds social cohesion and can make people happier and healthier.”
Ansell highlights that because live music is now a more important revenue earner than recorded music, the impact on the economy is significant as well.
According to a study by North-West University and the Tshwane University of Technology, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival contributed more than R475-million to the Western Cape economy.
Concerts SA is hoping this financial potential will attract role-players including musicians, concert promoters, the government and business.
Andre le Roux, MD of the Samro Foundation, said the study called on policymakers, politicians and decision-makers to acknowledge the importance of music in South Africa, to recognise its inherent value, both economically and socially, and to do something about the country’s musical heartache.
When Team South Africa returned from the Rio Olympics, thousands of fans crowded the airport to welcome their sports stars home.
“This research . . . does not dismiss the effort, training and achievement of excellent athletes. However, after as many hours of disciplined practice and training that culminate in live performances . . . musicians get far less attention than Olympians. Why is it so hard to encourage audiences to support live music?” asked Le Roux.
Sponsorship of the arts in South Africa has more than doubled in the past 10 years to just over R500-million.