MTN unveils refurbished digital music service

MTN chief digital officer Maxwell Nonge said the new music service was a leap towards promoting the local industry. “The revamped Music+ strengthens our focus on developing local content and contributing meaningfully to the development of the music industry in South Africa,” he said in a press statement. “At the heart of our endeavours into the music space is the firm belief that we need to partner with artists and empower them to take control over the success of their brand.”

“The revised functionality of Music+ is the first proposition of its kind in South Africa, where digital music and data are bundled for the user’s convenience and ease of use. This means that if a customer has an active bundle, any activity that they perform on Music+ will be zero-rated.”

MTN Music+ would also help to curb piracy. “We believe that the revised offering will also help to combat piracy, which is the nemesis of the music industry, and will further bolster the live music market in South Africa,” Nonge said.

“As MTN, we want to be at the forefront of this revolution and leverage our infrastructure to ensure that our customers and the industry benefit from this changing ecosystem.”

The new Music+ app will allow customers with an internet capable device and data to stream content online and offline. Subscribers can also stream via web-portal and mobile app interfaces on the 2G, 3G and LTE network.

A 2014 study revealed that global digital music revenues had surpassed physical music revenues. Downloads and subscriptions recorded 75% in revenue. In South Africa, digital music is on the rise and this development is attributed to artists. A study that was carried out by PwC and GMR revealed that physical music sales dropped by 17%, while digital music sales had a 9% escalation.

In a related development, Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) recently introduced a smart music bundle following growing concern that musicians were not earning revenue from downloads. TNM management has argued that the new music bundle is designed to promote local music in Malawi, although some sectors of society have blasted the service for being too expensive.