The South African Music Awards (SAMAs) is set to conduct workshops to educate artists on how to enter the awards.

The sessions are partly designed to attract more entries before the 31 January deadline and will run today and tomorrow in Johannesburg.

The activation workshops will target musicians who do not have access to social media, the Internet and other communication facilities.

“The drive takes the SAMAs to the people for a fair and more inclusive reflection of the vibrant South African music landscape in all its shades and shapes,” the SAMAs said.

“This weekend, SAMAs officials will visit a few shopping centres and malls in Gauteng where they will interact with musicians and educate them about the rules, regulations and processes that govern the SAMAs.”

Below are the dates and venues:

25 January – Alex Plaza, Alexandra, from 3pm to 5pm.

26 January – Sontonga Plaza, Katlehong, from 10am to 1pm.

26 January – Maponya Mall, Soweto, from 1.30pm to 5pm.

Record Industry of South Africa (RiSA) CEO Nhlanhla Sibisi, said: “As we start to get the ball rolling ahead of SAMAs 25, we saw it fit to spread our reach and bring out those musicians who may be in the periphery and often neglected pockets of our communities. There is so much talent there that needs to be celebrated and the SAMAs as the ultimate music honour in the country has a place for them.”

Sibisi invited artists whose music meet the requirements to submit. “We are calling on all musicians who have released material that falls within our deadlines to come forth and submit their works for a SAMA consideration. As the SAMA comes of age, we are proud that we reach the grassroots and share this information critical to the growth and acknowledgement of musical talent,” he said.    

The 2019 edition of the SAMAs will be held at Sun City on a yet to be announced date.