Kenyan Genres and how they make money.

As a melting pot of culture and diversity Kenyans love and appreciate multiple music genres which can be divided into three main categories. River road music, Pop and Gospel music. The leading revenue sources are skiza ( Safaricom’s ring back tune), performance fees and endorsements; all of which apply differently to each genre of music.

“I always encourage upcoming artists to first research the music industry before getting into it. You really have to understand how the business works for you to survive in it,” veteran rapper and Skiza curator, Paul Julius Nunda, aka Jua Cali, tells Music In Africa.

Commonly referred to as river road music, the genre mostly consists of benga artists many of whom sing in their vernacular language. Though most of them are not popular nationally, they command a near cultic following in their home area and among urban residents from their respective tribe. The proliferation of vernacular radio stations, has gone a long way in helping river road artists propagate their music. Consequently, their earning ability has continued to increase. Because they primarily target the rural and urban poor their branding and product pricing is always modest. When CD’s were popular they would move sizeable quantities at cheap cost, but with technology disrupting music distribution, Skiza is their new cash cow. They are the leading earners on Skiza, with each selling more in their respective home tuff. Though their performance fee is not very high, they still earn a consistent income because of multiple bookings. Through internet marketing, river road artists have also developed a diaspora market. This mostly consists of Kenyans living abroad who want a taste of home. They periodically travel across the world playing in small venues and selling CD’s and merchandise. Some of the leading figures in this genre include Musa Jakadala, Mzee ngala, Sammy Irungu, Alphonce Kioko Miama and Mike ‘Sweetstar’ Rotich.

“There are artists who crossover because of the type of music they do or the way they brand themselves and as a result make money from multiple sources. Some of the gospel artists like Bahati, Willy paul and Size 8 have managed to brand themselves as pop artists and as such demand higher performance fees. Accurate data is still hard to come by in showbiz but in general revenue distribution has remained the same over the genres for many years,” Jua cali says.

Artist in pop genres on the other hand primarily make their money from endorsement deals, with significant earnings coming from performance and far less from Skiza. These include Afro pop, Hip hop, dance hall, reggae and other urban genres. Because they are widely known across the country and extensively featured in the media, pop artists are usually a perfect fit for adverts and influencer marketing. They typically don’t get many bookings, the most popular probably getting two or three a weekend. However, their performance fees are usually a little higher than their River road or gospel counterparts. Ordinarily, their skiza tunes sales are the lowest but they do make some revenue from merchandise. Some of them, especially those at the top, have developed networks that help them secure regional and international bookings. Some of the leading artists in this genre include Sauti Sol, Nyashinski, Jua Cali, Kaligraph Jones and Nameless.

In the Kenyan market, gospel is a leading genre earning consist revenue from multiple sources. Gospel artists feature prominently on the top Skiza earners list and receive multiple endorsements because of their ability to cut across all spheres of society. Performance fees vary sharply because while some do music as a service to community, others do it as a profession. Extensive investment has gone into the sector with Safaricom funding the gospel award show, Grove Awards, for many years.

“River road artists typically charge between Ksh 20,000- Ksh 200,000 but they get more bookings sometimes getting 4 to 5 a week. Pop artists charge between Ksh 200,000 to ksh1m but get between 2 to 3 events a weekend while gospel artists charge between Ksh 20,000 to 1M. As for endorsements, they primarily go to pop and gospel artists and can range from 1 to Ksh10m,” Jua cali says.

Niche markets in the Kenyan music industry include, jazz, Afro Fusion, Rock, Electronic Music and Alternative music. These attract a small but very high value crowd. Artists in this genre typically make their money from high-end events and festivals like Koroga, Blankets and wine. They also generate income from merchandise and endorsement from companies who are targeting their audience profile. Major players in this sector include Shamsi music, Dela, Atemi, EAWave and Tetu shani. Cover bands and traditional music troupes in the Kenyan music ecosystem earning their keep playing small but regular gigs. This includes events at hotels, corporate events and wedding in town centers across the country. These session players also make a living playing in studio recordings or backing pop artists at national tours such as Twaweza Live and Coke Studio.