African streaming platforms emerge to fill market gap

The article focuses on three emerging players on the African continent: Mdundo (Kenya), Mvelani (Malawi) and the Nigeria-based MyMusic.com.ng.

With Spotify and Apple Music only available in a limited number of African markets, the Forbes article explains that these continent-based streaming platforms have seen significant uptake.

Mdundo reports more than 3.5 million monthly active users, from a large selection of countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria; Mvelani, meanwhile, boasts 100,000 songs in its catalogue and reports more than 40,000 users each day.

The same Forbes article states that Mdundo works with 50,000 musicians across Africa and has signed a licensing deal with Warner Music Group, while Dumisani Kapanga, founder of Mvelani, is quoted as saying: “It’s now easier than ever for musicians to put out music to their fans without relying on record labels to do so. Within minutes an artist can have their music on some of the biggest platforms out there. We are providing the means for artists to be heard easily, without the need for expensive middle men.”

Damola Taiwo, co-founder of Nigeria-based music downloads platform MyMusic.com.ng, also reflected on the relationship between infrastructure and consumption trends on the African continent: “The download services seem to still be the preferred method, where individual tracks are downloaded on devices and permanently owned. This is probably due to the cost and quality of internet access on the continent.”

So while the major international streaming companies’ reluctance to enter the African market may still be a cause of frustration for many music fans across the continent, the good news is that local players are proving themselves more than capable of filling the gap.