Old Mutual launches its first AMPD Masterclass with Slikour

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19 June 2019 – South Africa’s musos may know how to get a crowd to leap to its feet and bop to the beat, but that doesn’t mean they know how to manage the money they make. To tackle this challenge in a fresh and authentic way, Old Mutual launched its first monthly AMPD Masterclass session on 12 June at the new Old Mutual AMPD Studios in Newtown Junction.

The idea is for successful music stars who have built sustainable businesses and or careers to share their knowledge and expertise with emerging artists and music entrepreneurs.

In the first of these AMPD Masterclasses, broadcast live on Metro FM, musician and media mogul Siyabonga “Slikour” Metane gave young hopefuls valuable advice on how to ‘mp up’ their careers and navigate the terrain that is the South African music and creative industry.

“Music features in a big way in the lives of most young people in South Africa,” says Head of Brand at Old Mutual, Thobile Tshabalala. “But the sad truth is that very few of our legends and heroes are financially empowered. Due to a lack of financial education, or basic money management tools, many highly talented people in the music industry battle to make ends meet and leave their families with nothing when they pass on. Old Mutual aims to change this through platforms like the AMPD Masterclasses.”

As one of the founding members of the legendary hip hop group Skwatta Kamp and creator and owner of SlikourOnLife (an urban hip hop brand that caters for music fans through various digital platforms), Slikour has seen it all and learnt a thing or two about succeeding in this world.

Slikour highlighted how tough it is to break into the music industry and how long it can take to hone your skills and establish a fan base. “Apart from talent and skill, you need Lady Luck to be on your side for your hit to land and trend across music platforms. You also need to be confident and resilient, and not easily swayed by external factors,” he says.

He explained that once you start acquiring money as an artist, you need to surround yourself with the right managers, advisers and mentors to help you manage your finances responsibly. Old Mutual has set up and invested in the AMPD Studios to provide financial, entrepreneurial and career mentorship and coaching to help end the cycle of artists living and dying in poverty. AMPD Masterclasses and AMPD Icons Hero Conversations sessions are a first step in this grand plan to empower, inspire and coach aspiring artists to be their exceptional best.

The next event coming up at AMPD Studios on Tuesday, 25 June2019 is the second AMPD Icons Hero Conversation involving the legendary Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse and Khuli Chana The event takes place in front of a live audience starting at 12:00 and will also be broadcast live on Metro FM’s Centre Stage with Thomas Mseganaand Pearl Modiadie.