No Date, No Venue, No Money: SAMAs In Limbo As Sponsors Pull Out After Artists’ Backlash
The South African Music Awards (SAMAs), the biggest music show in the country, has been delayed this year due to financial challenges.
SAMAs Sponsors Pull Out
According to Sunday World, the awards organisers, the Recording Industry of South Africa (RISA), confirmed that they are facing difficulties in securing a sponsor.
Last year, they received backlash from several artists following the 28th edition of the awards show.
Artists Critical Of The SAMAs
Some of the musicians who criticised the SAMAs last year include Makhadzi, Lady Du and Zakes Bantwini. They accused the organisers of ill-treatment, favouritism, and delivering a weak show compared to previous years.
Makhadzi claimed that she was given only one minute to perform after rehearsing with a cellphone for sound. Lady Du alleged that there was a conflict of interest involving one of the show’s directors and the Artist of the Year winner Musa Keys.
Zakes Bantwini questioned the quality and integrity of the show, stating that many artists did not attend the awards due to corruption and lack of vision.
Organisers Speak
RISA spokesperson Lesley Mofokeng told Sunday World that the SAMAs have not been cancelled, but they have undergone a restructuring process that relooked their processes and repackaged the SAMAs.
“Since the Samas lost the MTN headline sponsorship in 2013, our sponsors are on a year-to-year basis, which means we have to negotiate each year to get them on board. Some negotiations take longer to conclude and that delays our timeline. This makes planning difficult because we don’t know the commitment the sponsor will make for that year.
“If we constantly have to wait for confirmation our timelines are delayed, but we will make the necessary announcement in a few weeks.”
Last year, the nominees were announced by June, but this year they have not been revealed yet.
The SAMAs are considered to be the most prestigious music awards in South Africa, honouring the best local artists across various genres.
The 28th edition of the SAMAs was held at Sun City Resort in North West in August 2022 and was broadcast on SABC 1.