Digital Music Distribution in East Africa On the Rise

A few years ago, access to local music was quite a rare thing. Innovations around music distribution in East Africa go back to the days of MyMusic.co.ke, a platform then owned by Bernsoft, a company that pioneered a lot of digital innovations in the country way before there was iHub and the Nailab. The platform faced challenges that included licensing, public trust and the capacity to reach the masses.

With the current access to the internet and smart devices, innovators have it easier and are able to create platforms that will generate revenue for both themselves and the content owners. Licensing has also become better regulated and in a way that the public can trust.

A few years ago, Mdundo.com launched and while it faced the usual start-up problems, it has seen a smooth growth curve and even inspired others in the region to follow their model. While Mdundo supplies content from across the region, Tanzania also decided to create a similar platform which seems to be gaining better trust of the Tanzanian locals and catering better for their needs, Mkito.co.tz. It is basically a copy of Mdundo.com with dominance of content from Tanzania.

This can only be good news for the industry players, especially musicians who can easily get discovered by fans across the region while they make some revenue from their work.

Kenyan music has also seen its way to international distribution networks, including iTunes, the world’s most valued music distribution network.

Considering where we came from since the days of Hardstone, indeed we are progressing.