From Numbers to Notes: Tumi Mogapi’s Uncharted Journey, Africori Member Feature (April 2025)

When you meet Tumi Mogapi

Head of Music Publishing at Africori, her passion and tenacity immediately shines through. But her path to the top of the music publishing world didn’t start in a boardroom or even in a studio.

Journey to the Top

Tumi studied accounting and auditing at UNISA, where at the time, music publishing wasn’t on her radar. Tumi’s journey into the world of music then kicked off at indie record label Mob Music, where she worked part-time as a data capturer. Life responsibilities led her to pause her studies and pursue full-time work in the music industry, where she discovered an unexpected intrigue in the workings of the music industry.

From her experience working at an independent label, she next moved to working at NORM (National Organisation for the Reproduction Rights in Music), where she was exposed to the behind-the-scenes of royalty collection. It was here she observed how music publishers operated with clients and curiosity sparked. That spark would later grow when Tsholo Moraba, then Head of Publishing at Gallo Music Publishers, took note of Tumi’s potential. With a recommendation from Michael Tshwarathle, a retiring royalties manager at Gallo, Tumi then fully emersed herself into the world of music publishing, which ultimately lead to her working for Africori.

Demystifying Music Publishing

One of the biggest challenges Tumi sees in the industry is the misunderstanding of what music publishing truly is. Tumi mentioned that she often encounters people who often confuse it with book publishing, and many artists don’t trust publishers, thinking they’re only in it for themselves. However, she believes the reality is, music publishers exist to protect songwriters’ rights and to help songwriters build sustainable careers.

To assist in building that career sustainability, Tumi believes meeting songwriters where they are is key. Whether it’s through one-on-one chats, workshops, or platforms like MPASA, her goal is to help creators understand the power of owning and managing their musical copyright.

Raising the Bar for Women in Music

As a proud member of Women In Music South Africa, Tumi is also a fierce advocate for women in the industry. Tumi stated how inspiring it is to see more women take up space in prominent roles in the music industry, but there’s still work to be done.

She recalls one of her proudest moments: facilitating a 5-day workshop with the Hip Hop Museum and DSAC (Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture), teaching 30 young women about the music business. Today, those women continue to thrive, with some landing roles at Africori or releasing hit tracks and they still stay connected.

At the Helm of MPASA’s CMO Committee

Tumi’s new role as CMO Committee Chair at MPASA reflects her drive to push for progress. As she believes there is no point in complaining if you’re not going to actively do something about it.

Her main focus is to help Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) like SAMRO and CAPASSO pay more frequently and more accurately. That includes tackling issues like undocumented works and ensuring royalty flows are transparent and efficient. For her, it’s all about collaboration working collectively to make CMOs better serve their members.

Advice for the Next Generation

To young women (and anyone) entering the business side of the music industry, Tumi offers powerful advice:

• Get your admin in order, especially when it comes to publishing split sheets and featured artist royalties.
• Do your research and don’t rely on luck.
• Take advantage of the education platforms available to learn how to avoid costly mistakes.
• Ask questions, network, and build the right connections.

There’s so much more access to information now, people need to take advantage of that.

The Journey Ahead

As the global spotlight continues to shine on African music, Tumi believes the continent’s publishers, government, CMO’s and veterans of the music industry have an important role to play in ensure our creatives are well informed on how best protect and monetize their precious musical craft.

Tumi Mogapi personifies a force helping shape a fairer, more empowered music industry one connection, one conversation, and one creative at a time.