Music Exchange, South Africa’s first independent music conference, returns for a second year, from 22-23 March at the Protea Victoria Junction Hotel in Cape Town. In line with the ever-changing landscape of the music industry globally, a strong digital theme will be an integral part of the keynote talks and panel discussions.

The highlight is the keynote address by Charles Goldstuck, the CEO of Touchtunes and former COO of Sony Music, who will be flying in from New York to share his knowledge of the evolving music arena from a global point of view.

Topics of discussion will include an overview of the changing revenue landscape and a specific look at needle-time; the physical side of digital that will focus on all the different media available and how one should approach a web marketing strategy and an intimate look at how some of South Africa’s most successful bands interact with their fanbases through traditional and digital methods.

Other speakers and panellists include Jake Larson, Head of Music for MEA for Nokia Music, Peter Lacey, Managing Director of Musketeer Records, Yoel Kennan founder of Keevision and South African music legend Sipho ‘Hotstix” Mabuse, who is on board as a partner in the Music Exchange entity.

There is an optional third day to the conference where delegates will be able to attend half-day workshops. These will cover more in-depth topics on the contract by top industry lawyer Nick Matzuckis and the digital arena by digital marketing expert Brian Currin.

“The aim of the conference is to empower people in the industry with the tools and knowledge to assist in making a success of their creative efforts and our long-term vision is to put South African music on the global map,” says Martin Myers, founder of Music Exchange.