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It goes without saying that Burna is one of the most streamed African acts on Spotify if not the most streamed. It was very creative of the Spotify team. Now here are some deductions from that new announcement and the fallout since. Spotify recognizing its African market is long overdue. In fact, it came more than a decade late. One suspects that the volatility and uncertainty of the market in Africa factors as a major reason Spotify held off or ignored the budding music scene here for so long. It is a valid reason. The African music terrain is still growing and needs a lot of nurturing and so far very few streaming services have made any sort of commitment to being part of that growth, passively or actively. Platforms like YouTube Music, Audiomack and Boomplay have been very much part of the growth we have seen thus far across Africa. The growth of Afrobeats notwithstanding, it would take a lot of convincing to get streaming platforms to take Africa seriously which makes the efforts of the above named more remarkable. The move has been no doubt commendable as it has cemented a relationship that we all know to be there. For years, Nigerian artistes and consumers alike. For consumers especially, this eliminates the hassle of using a VPN to access subscriptions. On the part of artistes, one imagines that it now avails them partnerships in a way that may not have been possible before.
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It remains to be seen whether the streaming giant would go beyond making its platform available to Africans. It has already put out job openings with respect to its operations in Africa. The curious thing, however, is that these openings are based elsewhere as in Dubai and London. Running a business in Africa while living here is hard. Running one while living outside the continent is nigh on impossible. That said, Spotify does not have a lot to lose whether this works out or not. And it is highly unlikely to fail. The African market is still very dicey as many people can’t afford subscriptions but it is highly likely that the presence of more players will force innovation. Spotify has recently delved into the world of audio recordings and podcasts as it has had to endure the serious competition in music streaming. As far as Africa goes, YouTube Music is the clear market leader. Other major players are Audiomack and Deezer (also major in the MENA region). Spotify’s popularity with the middle class could mean it would easily edge into second or even first place. Its availability on Android could be a major plus as most mobile users are domiciled with Google’s mobile operating system. Featured Image Source: The Guardian NG
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