ACCES isn’t just a stage, it’s a deal room with a sound system. African artists are being schooled on how to show up, stand out, and turn a performance into a passport Here’s the uncomfortable truth: talent alone won’t get you onto the ACCES stage. Not in 2026.
Not in an industry that now treats music like both art and enterprise. At a recent virtual briefing hosted by Music In Africa alongside industry insiders like Eddy Mihigo, the message was clear—if you want in, you need more than vibes. You need strategy.
Before the lights, the crowd, the moment—there’s a profile form. And apparently, that’s where many artists lose the plot. Coordinator and programmer of leading pan-African music trade event ACCES, Claire Metais didn’t sugarcoat it: incomplete profiles and applications are killing dreams before they even load.
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“We receive many applications and the technicalities that may cause a missed opportunity is usually because of an incomplete profile by the artists.” According to Industry leader, Sakhele Mzalazala, ACCES is a chessboard. Workshops. Networking sessions.
These aren’t side events, they’re the real show. “Ask smart questions. Be visible, but professional.
Follow up after sessions,” he advised. Because in this game, who sees you matters just as much as who hears you.
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