We’ve been really busy as of late - busy collecting information and conjuring ways to connect you with the industry. Our projects offer your comprehensive information about opportunities for education, business and self development both locally and abroad, intellectual property management, and new technology resources.

We like shopping. (Work-shopping, to be exact) Watch out for our workshops on these topics and contact us if you’d like to participate.

:: Intellectual Property : Clearing The Murky Waters
:: Cape MIC Business Development Centre
:: Learning Institutions Centre
:: Cape MIC Scoping Project

Email info@capemic.co.za to join our guest list.

Intellectual Property : Clearing The Murky Waters

At an entry level the ‘industry’ in the music industry can seem confusing. Many of us involved have a limited knowledge about how to manage ourselves in relation to the business of music. Unfortunately it is this lack of perspective which often keeps individuals or organizations from reaching full financial and public potential.

To this end, Cape MIC has embarked on a series of projects aimed at educating the industry about how to best benefit from the available resources.

This first Cape MIC educational project is all about the evolving realm of Intellectual Property (IP).Simply put, it’s about who owns what, and how much it’s worth.

The focus is to enable individuals, organizations and groups to make smarter business decisions regarding the protection of their IP and the subsequent expansion of their careers and businesses. Because no matter how talented you are, it’s hard to get ahead when you’re open to theft and exploitation.

This project will help educate composers and those publishing and utilizing music compositions about what IP actually is, how best to safeguard it and how to ensure that no copyright laws are violated or neglected on all sides of business and creative transactions. In addition, it clarifies how IP is converted into royalties, how royalties are distributed and how licenses for the use of music are purchased by those who wish to benefit from them.

Our IP project will:

define the language and terminology typically used in the IP management practice, so that any person reading an IP related document can navigate the information with greater understanding.
explain how copyright protection works in the music industry in South Africa and internationally.
define roles in the IP management process
explain what, when and by whom one can expect to be paid (on average)*
explain what one should be prepared to pay if wanting to use music commercially (on average)*
answer commonly asked IP questions

This information will be put into :

1) a question and answer series from our Music Business Development Centre. The help desk’s motto is : ask us anything.

2) a simple IP user’s manual available in print and/or web on request.

3) education and problem-solving workshops with collection houses, publishers, lawyers and composers to clarify pressing issues and highlight new ideas in the field.

4) updated curriculums for music and music business educators to ensure learning institutions have access to the most relevant and recent information regarding IP developments.

* “on average” here means relative to IP practice, local and/or international accreditation and industry norms.

Scoping Project (Research And Problem Solving).

“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has the data”
- Sherlock Holmes

The music industry is changing faster than anyone ever imagined. With new emergences and technologies it is virtually impossible to constantly have a finger on the pulse, and not keeping up with changes really pushes our buttons.
Although there is a vast amount of research available on the music industry already, at Cape MIC we believe there is a lot more that needs to be done to keep up with it.

There are articles, reports and databases available in all mediums, yet there is no central portal of information for the Western Cape that covers all genres of music across the province and/or all levels of involvement within the music industry. In addition, one must recognize that pockets of knowledge and involvement do not comprise the music industry as a whole.

We believe that having access to relevant individuals and their contact details already increases an industry player’s scope for development. But further than just mapping out contact details, what we’re really doing is mapping problems, perceptions and ideas. Ultimately, this lets us understand the industry with all of its complexities and will hopefully simplify it for you.

We strive to:

provide constantly updated, relevant information that enables the industry to make informed business choices and identify new possibilities for development, education and audience activation.
encourage and enable face-to-face networking to energize and manifest the research project. This means personally meeting with you, whatever role you play in the industry, and hearing what you think.
connect you to everyone else relevant to your involvement in music. This contributes to creating an increasingly self-aware industry that can solve its own problems through collaboration and innovation.

The Scoping Project’sbuilding blocks are:

Thread

Thread is a research and strategic team that strives to facilitate the research process for the Western Cape Music Industry scoping project. Backed by the mentorship and methodology of Elizabeth Dostall, the co-founder of Biomatrix Systems Theory for societal and organizational development, Thread are on the ground furiously gathering as much information and insight as possible to infuse a variety of our projects with relevant information and depth of perspective.

You

Next time someone tells you to stop complaining, think of us. You have no idea how valuable your feelings and perceptions on the challenges in this issue are – both for your involvement, and for the angles you bring to the functioning of the industry. The more information, ideas, and frustrations we hear from you, the more healthily we can help the industry grow. So go on, complain to us!