Hitchat introduces Africa talent discovery platform

Hitchat was rolled out in beta and is currently available on the web. Its app will be launched in Cape Town, South Africa, in early 2021. The platform is supported by MTN music streaming apps MusicTime and Ayoba.

The platform allows upcoming artists to upload audition videos that fans can vote for. Hitchat will monitor the videos and invite artists to audition via the Hitchat Music Academy, where participants will be trained to perform live. The public will then vote for their favourite performance and a winner will be announced. Selected artists stand a chance to be signed to Hitchat Music Company and launch their careers in the process.

The company was founded by Nicole Landgraff, Mikael Samuelsson and University of Cape Town associate professor and former Swedish Idol winner Erik Grönwall. It says it wants to provide artists with access to an untapped market with the potential to reach millions of people.

Upcoming artists can sign up on Hitchat with their Facebook or Google accounts, or with an email address or phone number.

“We find your key audience and develop campaigns and strategies to ensure that you are seen and heard in the right places,” Hitchat says. “Using our Hitchat events, and our local and global networks, we create a unique platform for you to release your talent. We are creating a new genre in Africa called T-pop and will help you find the best group constellations for your career.."

Grönwall, who is the company's chief product officer, said: “Hitchat offers people in emerging markets around the world an opportunity to improve their livelihoods, starting in Africa. We specialise in finding and developing talent where the tools to be discovered don’t exist today.”

Samuelsson said: “We are building a platform where we can better sustain the artist’s revenues and give the artists an opportunity to monetise earlier in their career through micro transactions via the app and by finding the opportunity in the value chain. We can give the artist a higher return, help out with financial planning and make sure they are prepared for the entertainment industry."

MTN Group general manager for ecosystem development, Eero Tarjanne, said the telecommunications company was glad to be associated with the new initiative,

“MTN Group, and its subsidiaries MusicTime and Ayoba are excited to be part of the Hitchat initiative. Hitchat aligns perfectly with our strategy of providing an African music service for an African audience by identifying and supporting emerging artists and developing the local music industry across our markets,” Tarjanne said.

For more information, visit the Hitchat website.