Kenyan musicians welcome new streaming service

The service will launch with a free 14-day trial. Thereafter customers will choose subscription plans ranging from 25 Kenyan shillings ($0.25) a day, Ksh 150 weekly or Ksh 499 on a monthly basis.

The app selects, codifies and classifies a music catalogue of more than 2 million songs from about 400 000 local and international artists.

“Our aim is to delight our subscribers with a carefully curated world-class collection, a fantastic user interface and a smooth streaming experience,” Safaricom consumer service director Sylvia Mulinge said.

The service has concluded agreements with major African and international labels as well as aggregators including Sony Music Entertainment, Africori, Africha, Ngoma and Expedia. Safaricom said it was also in negotiations with other major labels.

“In Songa by Safaricom, we see a unique solution that rivals international music applications,” Sony Music Entertainment Africa managing director Sean Watson said. “Sony Music Entertainment is proud to be associated with this unique product that we believe is well positioned to deliver on its promise to entertain and capture unique moments in our lives."

To drive consumer uptake and create awareness of the platform, Safaricom has engaged acclaimed Kenyan artists Nyashinski, Sauti Sol and Mercy Masika as Songa creative directors.

“As a creative director I’ll be able to influence how the app is run from a musician’s as well as an end user’s point of view. We are as also the face of the app and a big part of the promotion strategy,” Nyashinski told Music In Africa.

“The platform is great and has been a long time coming. Because it’s by Safaricom, in association with Radio Africa, it leverages on the huge infrastructure, customer database and financial muscle of both organisations. This means more people can easily access music legally, whether they buy it or stream it.”

Safaricom’s ring-back tone service, Skiza, is already making a huge impact on the music business in Kenya. Last year, Skiza paid out more than Ksh 1.4 billion to artists, and Songa is expected to add even more value to artists while countering music piracy.

“We always get inquiries from fans who want to buy our music legally but we have lacked the means to service the market,” Masika told Music In Africa. “This platform moves us from the CD era to the digital era and we are excited at the business opportunities it presents.”

Kenyan pop artist Nameless said: “Any platform that helps us get our music to our customers in a transparent way is a plus for our industry. Songa allows us to monitor sales and we are excited about that. We are still waiting to see how it goes, but we encourage people to get the app and continue supporting Kenyan music.”

Also speaking to Music In Africa, gospel artist Rufftone said: “Most of the ring-back tone platforms are not very open about presenting actual sales. It’s very hard to ascertain just how much you have sold. With Songa, however, I can track my sales by the hour. As Kenyan artists we just want a platform that puts the artists at the centre of it all. We can’t have middlemen making all the money as artists making peanuts.”

Rapper Fena Gitu said: “Let’s see how it goes. The fact that it’s owned by Safaricom is encouraging because it means it will have the financial backing to get us to international standards. Songa is the new wave now, so I encourage all my fans to get onto the platform.”

Boomba musician Big Pin said: “It’s a brilliant idea. We have always felt the need for a Kenyan platform that gives us control over our own music. I have already joined and I think it’s great both for artists and for music lovers.”