A NEW platform that has been created for the media and musicians to engage each other will have its debut in Johannesburg on Monday.

Created by well-known blogger, promoter, and emerging entrepreneur Themba Ndala, Music Expressio will take place at the Bassline, starting at 7.30pm.

Music Expression was previously known as 1st Friday.

Music Expression will later be hosted at various venues across the country once a month, with musicians, critics and journalists discussing showbiz and networking, creating content, exchanging knowledge and developing strategies for supporting each other in enhancing quality work as well as good music reporting.

It will showcase various music performances featuring unsigned artists and provide a platform for music industry professionals to learn about music journalism from electronic and print media experts.

A guest speaker will discuss topics such as music journalism, media coverage, music as a business, promotions and music trends.

A hostess or host public figure, pop-artist-celebrity will also support new and up-and-coming artists. Established musicians will also support the initiative.

"The objective of this initiative is to create a relationship between unsigned artists, Indies (Independent Record Labels) and music journalists as well as to educate artists and record labels on how the media operate around music journalism," Ndala says.

"Music Expression seeks to educate artists and record labels on how to maximise new media platforms and web technology to create a reliable fan base and grow their following.

"It is also an ideal event for music journalists to discover new artists, record companies and current music trends."