By Adeola Ogunlade
The first edition of the Salon des Industries Musicales d’Afrique Francophone (SIMA) has been scheduled to hold on November 17 and 18, 2022 at the Sofitel Hôtel Ivoire in Abidjan, with the institutional support of the Ministry of Culture and the Francophonie of Côte d’Ivoire.
Themed: “In the era of digitalization, what are the challenges for the African music industry?
The event will bring together renowned professionals from the music, cultural and creative industry and the ICT ecosystem such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music, the National Alliance of the Canadian Music Industry (ANIM), Boomplay, Believe Music, Trace, Digital Virgo or even UBA.
The Director of the National Alliance of the Canadian Music Industry (ANIM), institutional partner of the show, Clotilde Heibing said: “SIMA is an excellent opportunity to get to know the music industry of West African countries, to draw inspiration from best practices and create business opportunities between our regions.
“In the end, we will be able to participate together in creating a stronger French-speaking music industry, thanks to the links forged between our companies and our associations”.
The initiative designed and initiated by experts from the musical ecosystem, aims to bring together players from the French-speaking and international African music industries, to encourage the sharing of knowledge and good practices and create business opportunities, while promoting the African music industry globally.
Over the past four decades, the music industry has faced many upheavals around the world, including a profound transformation due to digital and technological development. This fact, far from being a negative factor, provides vitality to the music sector. Africa is not on the sidelines of this success.
This first edition of SIMA, which will take place in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), will address the impact and challenges of digital for the music industry on the continent.
Despite this brilliant and promising picture, famous Franco-Cameroonian rapper and co-founder of SIMA, Pit Baccardi said “we have, on the one hand, an African music industry which must be structured and professionalized and, on the on the other hand, a local, regional and international ecosystem that needs to understand the modes of operation of this emerging African music industry”
Panels, round tables and masterclasses of this first edition of SIMA will be led by well-known personalities, experts and professionals from the African and international musical ecosystem such as: Traoré Salif (A’salfo, CEO Gaou Production), Edgar Yonkeu (Direct Director Prod), Antonio Dahouindji (Director Dream Maker), Franck Kacou (General Manager Universal Music Africa), Olivier Laouchez (CEO Trace), Clotilde Heibing (CEO ANIM), Benjamin Ifrah (Head of Urban Music Distribution Believe), Olivier Nusse (CEO Universal Music France), Michel Duval (CEO Because Editions), Elvis Adidiema (Sony Music Africa Director), Alexandre Kirchoff (Capitol France Director),
Baccardi said “the music industry is an excellent way to enhance and develop the continent both economically and in terms of sustainable development. SIMA therefore comes at the right time to establish the basis for discussions that will go in the direction of a real industrialization of music made in Africa and a strengthening of the capacities of its actors.”