The firm is committed to the entertainment industry, and local musicians and artists, in particular. This led to the decision to become an associate sponsor of the 18th annual MTN South African Music Awards, a first for a South African law firm. The law firm has also been appointed as the exclusive legal partner to the SAMAs.
The MTN SAMAs are the most prestigious platform for South African musicians and everyone involved in the recording industry. In terms of the continent, they are an important opportunity to showcase the country's finest musical talent - ambassadors for South African arts and culture. "The local industry has produced numerous sensational artists and music over the course of the past year. Artists with a track record have released new albums and many inventive and groundbreaking new musicians have created or reformulated various music styles," says SAMA CEO Randall Abahams.
"Award evenings are a great way of focusing attention on musicians who have generated sales successes and wonderful music. The MTN SAMAs put musicians in the spotlight and offer the world an eye on South African popular music and culture," comments Abrahams.
"Having a legal team one can rely on for all realms of negotiation and contracting is very important when producing an event at the level of the MTN SAMAs. Adams & Adams has been a very reliable and insightful legal team and have assisted the process on many levels."
Mariëtte du Plessis, a senior partner at Adams & Adams says: "We feel there is a real need in the music industry to educate musicians about the legal aspects. Our involvement with this year's MTN SAMA Awards stems from the firm's experience that musicians tend to focus on their professional careers and are not well versed in the legal side of the music business, such as the contracts, protecting their copyright, brands, addressing music piracy, etc. We are excited to become involved in this process and offer an accessible forum for musicians to learn about their rights.
"The music industry in South Africa has been hard hit by piracy. Musicians toil day and night to build their careers and when they finally get a record deal and their music is released, the pirates move in, copy their cds and sell them at a fraction of the original price, thus depriving the artists of their income. Music piracy is crippling the industry and we look forward to assisting the wonderfully talented musicians and performing artists in South Africa," says Du Plessis.
