When father Hugh died in 1977, Tracey took over his job and became Director of ILAM and editor of the Journal of African Music, roles he filed until his retirement in 2005. His wife Heather took over African Musical Instruments (AMI), the maker of the Hugh Tracey Kalimbas. In 1977, apartheid South Africa was seen internationally as a pariah state, and funding for ILAM dried up. Tracey was able to arrange support for ILAM from Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, which resulted in both ILAM and AMI moving from Krugersdorp to Grahamstown.