New title dedicated to Afrikaans music

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Weideman says that with the dramatic growth of Afrikaans culture and music in South Africa, the time is right for a magazine entirely dedicated to the country's Afrikaans music artists. “We have always supported our local artists passionately and we hope that Huisgenoot Tempo will play a part in the continual growth of the Afrikaans music industry.”

Huisgenoot Tempo is aimed at Afrikaans music lovers of all ages and everyone from seven to seventy should find interesting articles about Afrikaans artists from all genres. The magazine will focus on the full spectrum of Afrikaans music, from popular Afrikaans artists to a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Afrikaans music industry. An extension of the Huisgenoot trademark, Huisgenoot Tempo is intended to be a high-quality magazine featuring intelligent and in-depth articles with a strong visual impact.

Features for the launch issue include the great Afrikaans music icons of our time, stars of 2009, the greatest Afrikaans lyricists, profiles of leading artists, a test-your-knowledge of Afrikaans music quiz, and more.

“Very excited”

Willem Breytenbach, publisher of Media24 Family Magazines, says Huisgenoot Tempo will focus on entertainment and will provide readers with information on the topics that they are really interested in. “We are very excited about this new project and with the Huisgenoot brand already being a household name, we are positive that Huisgenoot Tempo will be a big hit with readers,” says Breytenbach.

Huisgenoot Tempo will be published quarterly and the launch issue went on sale on Thursday, 27 November 2008, in time for Christmas. The magazine is bagged with an Afrikaans CD containing 10 new tracks from South Africa's top artists such as Kurt Darren, Nicolis Louw, Andriette Norman, Sarah Theron, Die Campbells, Ray Dylan and Gerrie Pretorius. These tracks were part of Huisgenoot's first songwriting competition, for which more than 2000 songs and lyrics were received. The initial print run stands at 75 000, with a cover price of R25.

This title will be supported by an online presence in the form of www.huisgenoottempo.com, where visitors can purchase music, get the latest on their favourite artists, enjoy video and photo galleries and even stay updated with a comprehensive events listing.