'It's officially back' — Countdown to #Road2SAMA29 begins

The South African Music Awards (Samas) are officially back. 

The Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA) announced on Tuesday it is officially kicking off the #Road2SAMA29 as the countdown begins for the announcement of the nominees. 

The event is set to take place on October 3 in Soweto, Johannesburg. 

“The South African music industry has produced exceptional music over the past year and seen our artists take their brands to new heights, both locally and globally. We are proud to officially kick off #SAMA29 and look forward to sharing with the country some exciting new developments as the Samas find a new home,” said RiSA CEO Nhlanhla Sibisi.

Entries eligible for a Sama consideration span 30 genre categories and must have been released between February 1 2022 and April 14 2023.

“The Sama entries have been on an upward trajectory in the last five years, with last year setting a record with over 1,300 submissions,” said Sibisi.

There were reports the organisation was battling to secure a headline sponsor, which resulted in a delay in the announcement of nominees.

In 2022 the announcement was made in June. It was delayed this year with no indication when the nomination ceremony would take place. 

Explaining the reason behind the delay to TshisaLIVE, Sibisi said an announcement on a way forward would be made in “due course”.

“If we constantly have to wait for confirmation our timelines are delayed, but we will make the necessary announcement in a few weeks.”