COVID-19: Boomplay 'prepared to drop subscription prices'

The news comes as governments across the continent continue to intensify restrictions on mass gatherings and enforce lockdowns in an effort to constrain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

With people spending more time at home due to quarantines and self-isolation, Boomplay says it anticipates that remote online entertainment such as music streaming will increase.

The streaming company told Music In Africa that it had already noticed increases in subscriptions and number of streams on its platform but that it would be premature to chalk up the changes to the coronavirus pandemic. It also said it was prepared to take the required measures to assist people during this difficult time.

“We've seen slight increases in subscriptions and streams, but it's difficult to say at this moment in time if this is due to the pandemic," Boomplay director of content and strategy Phil Choi said. “We would need to analyse an extended period of time before we can have a more accurate understanding.”

“We are keeping an eye on things and Boomplay will do what it can to support and help people get through this. If this means offering subscriptions at a discounted price, this is something we will definitely look into when we feel the time is right."

Although it is widely expected that online activities such as streaming will rise, Music Business Worldwide yesterday reported that streaminig numbers had decreased on the world's most popular music streaming service, Spotify, last week. However, YouTube showed an increase in streaming on its platform.

Changes in streaming behaviour are still to unfold in Africa, which is relatively unscathed by the coronavirus for the time being. In an attempt to reduce the spread of the virus in South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday announced an official lockdown that will be effective from Thursday. The lockdown is expected to have far-reaching and negative ramifications on the economy. At the time of writing, the number of confirmed cases in the country was 554, up from 402 on Monday.