Artists in the Northern Cape no longer have to travel to other provinces to record their music following the opening of a new state-of-the-art recording studio, which came with a R2.9 million price tag.
ARTISTS in the Northern Cape no longer have to travel to other provinces to record their music following the opening of a new state-of-the-art recording studio, which came with a R2.9 million price tag.
The new recording studio, which is located at the Northern Cape Theatre, was officially opened by Northern Cape Premier Dr Zamani Saul, in conjunction with the provincial Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) and the provincial Department of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, including the Northern Cape Arts and Culture Council (NCACC).
The provincial spokesperson of DSAC, Conrad Fortune, said the studio will not only benefit local musos but will also attract other musicians from other parts of the country to the Province.
“The Premier, Dr Zamani Saul, indicated that as the provincial administration, we have heeded the call of many young people who are yearning for opportunities to use their abundant artistic talents to build for themselves sustainable livelihoods.
“They have requested their government to help them with performance spaces and opportunities to develop their skills so that they can be the best at what they do. This state-of-the-art facility will play a massive role in ensuring that our musicians do not migrate to the bigger cities to record their music,” said Fortune.
“It is also a facility that has the potential to attract artists to come to our Province to record their music. It is a facility that will play a key role in contributing to boosting cultural tourism, meaning that we can become a province of both adventure and cultural tourism.”
Fortune said the facility is equipped with everything required for artists to record their work.
“The studio is equipped with keyboards, drums, CD jays and various other equipment that can be used for recording music in different genres.”
He added that the registration of the facility is in process.
“The Northern Cape Arts and Culture Council and the Cultural and Creative Industries Federation of South Africa (CCFISA) are in the process of developing policies and standard operating documents for the operations of the recording studio. They are also in the process of registering and ensuring that they fulfil all the requirements of the South African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO).”
Saul encouraged musicians to use the studio to their advantage.
“The establishment of this recording studio is in line with government’s ‘Mzansi Golden Economy’ strategy, the intention of which is to unleash the potential of the arts to contribute not only to social cohesion and nation-building but also to ensure economic growth, skills development, and job creation,” Saul said.
“This studio will contribute immensely to youth development in the area of creative arts and related activities. The Northern Cape Provincial Government has made an important investment by setting aside funds aimed at resourcing the studio and this administration will ensure that the studio is well maintained and supported.”
The Northern Cape Theatre Practitioners Forum (NCTPF) welcomed the opening of the studio and indicated that it will add tremendously to the development of the arts industry in the Province.
The forum’s Phemelo Sediti said the opening has been long awaited.
“The studio is a culmination of an initial flagship to operationalise the theatre. During his 2020 State of the Province (Sopa) address, Premier Zamani Saul announced that one of the flagship projects would be the operationalisation of the Northern Cape Theatre. As the NCTPF, we could only assume the operation of the theatre on April 15, 2021 through a service level agreement (SLA) with the NCACC.
“Due to the fact that the NCTPF could not only depend on funding from the SLA, we searched for funding from other sponsors. The Department of Economic Development and Tourism came through and agreed to fixing the theatre roof and installing the recording studio.
“We have literally come full circle since the announcement during the Sopa of 2020,” said Sediti.
