THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Retailers, manufacturers, distributors, representatives of trade and industry and musicians and music fans from all over the world came together at Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre for this year’s Musikmesse (Music Fair).
From 5 to 8 April 2017, visitors from 119 countries attended the event to discover the latest developments in the market, make contacts and participate in the extensive programme of events.
And 972 exhibitors presented their products to an international audience of visitors. Additionally, over 20,000 music fans attended the events of the Musikmesse Festival, an integral part of the Musikmesse concept, with concerts by over 50 national and international artists, including Extrabreit, Oleta Adams & hr-Bigband, Till Brönner, Steve Stevens & Band, Branford Marsalis Quartet featuring Kurt Elling and many others, at venues throughout Frankfurt.
To increase value added for all groups of visitors, Musikmesse was supplemented by new attractions and an expanded complementary programme of events.
Together with the Musikmesse Festival, the fair offered over 1,000 events, from concerts and live performances to workshops and master classes.
Innovations at Musikmesse 2017
As always, the Musikmesse exhibitors demonstrated the innovative dynamism inherent in the sector. Clearly visible was the trend towards using new materials and production methods.
Against the background of the exacting requirements of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a new thermos-energetic process was shown that makes it possible to use domestic woods for high-grade instruments. Also to be seen was the world’s first violin made with the aid of 3D printing technology.
Moreover, more and more manufacturers are using carbon fibres to make musical instruments. Other companies are banking on the interaction of instruments and mobile devices, for example, to help people learn playing techniques.
Also popular are hybrid instruments that combine the appearance and touch of analogue instruments with digital sound production.
Furthermore, the fair expanded its thematic spectrum to include subjects from the world of music therapy and teaching. For example, the German Music Therapy Society took part in Musikmesse for the first time and presented its ‘InstruMental Room’ where visitors could participate in interactive events, such as sound journeys and ‘DrumCircles’.
Musikmesse was held concurrently with Prolight + Sound, International Fair of Technologies and Services for Entertainment, Integrated Systems and Creation, from Wednesday to Friday – a day longer than in 2016. This turned Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre into a get-together for the entire music and event sector and attracted around 100,000 visitors from 144 countries. Altogether, 1,922 exhibitors from 55 countries made presentations there.
The next Musikmesse will be held from 11 to 14 April 2018.
