As the last lap into the final preparations of the much-anticipated Botswana International Music Conference (BIMC) gets underway, Copyrights Society of Botswana (COSBOTS) has joined the fray.
BIMC was first held in 2015 to expose local artists to the business side of the music industry.
It has continued to attract a big following over the last four years.
This year’s event has attracted 52 international speakers and delegates as well as 50 local speakers and delegates from various sectors of the music industry.
The man behind the event, veteran promoter and social media commentator Seabelo Modibe has said that international speakers are expected to share insights on Copyright Law and Royalty Management, a topic which has been causing a lot of confusion amongst local artists on how exactly COSBOTS works.
“As BIMC we believe that this Masterclass will help organizations prepare and stay ahead of the curve so that once licensing starts they are well equipped and tooled on Copyright and Royalty Management matters,” Modibe explained.
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Next year COSBOTS will commence licensing rights such as reprographics followed by digital and online users of works such as mobile telephony, Over the Top Applications (YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram), streaming services and online broadcasters to name a few.
“BIMC and COSBOTS have found it fit to organize this particular Masterclass to make sure all users, copyrighted works administrators know their responsibilities as per the Copyright Act,” Modibe said.
The Masterclass will be held at the GICC for two days from November 27 -28th.
The speakers list comprises of Karabo Senna (RSA), John Max (Namibia), Adv. Nhlanhla Sibisi (RSA), Adv. Ntsietso Mokitimi Makhofola (RSA), Stephen Hollis, Mirrias Syamutondo (Zambia), Leemisa Molapisi (RSA) to name a few.
The music conference will also offer an opportunity for networking as it will host music distributors such as BET, MTV base, organisers of the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz, Momix, The Imbizo, Moshito, locally celebrated Gaborone International Music and Culture week (GIMC), the Vic falls carnival just to mention but a few
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