John Momban
Africa is a continent hampered by failing democracies and acute underdevelopment. However, as many refer to it a “sleeping giant,” the continent still finds ways to lead the charge in technological advancements.
TechInAfrica – Let’s take mobile banking industry for instance. Countries like Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria are showing the world how it’s done. A need was discovered within the banking sector, but the barrier was to cost-effectively penetrate the formal market comprising of the average working class Africans. So, a cheaper and more convenient technology came to life and has now revolutionized the banking sector.
Now, leaving that for another day, the same parallel can now be drawn in the African music industry. For decades, the African nations struggled to bring up their music industry as the western records carried away their technology after colonization. What was left was a disjointed music industry with inferior means to effectively produce and distribute works from the talented artists en masse. Since the demand for music never waned, sooner or later, someone would have to come and help with the job – the Pirates. But this left the artists and producers hopeless as their months and years of sweat behind the mic couldn’t earn them a worthwhile living.
Caketunes Music Distribution Launched
Thanks to technology, the Nigerian startup Caketunes has finally launched its music distribution and production platform to help artists and producers manage and market their work online. Producers can now sell their beats from the comfort of their studios as artists reach out to new fans from across the globe.
The startup was launched in September and allows artists to sort various beats using an advanced algorithm to detect users’ tastes. Producers have been literally turned into online merchants, so it’s a win-win for every stakeholder in the music industry.
According to the Co-founder and CEO Ability Elijah, Caketunes was founded after the team discovered a massive gap in African music industry, with several music producers hawking their beats online, sometimes for free, to make a sale or gain some work. Though Elijah is based in Nigeria, he reiterated that Caketunes is focused on the African market, targeting countries like Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Uganda, and Tanzania. Even at its infant stages, the startup already boasts of 20 quality producers and 500 artists with a total of 80 beats and 800 songs already uploaded to the platform.
Could this be the hope for the African music?
With digital distribution platforms, artists can reach out hundreds of music stores instantly by simply uploading a song. They can also reach millions of their social media fans with a single post. In the end, the artists will reach their fans much faster than the pirates will ever catch up. Though the pirates can beat you on the price – they didn’t work for it anyway – having a massive online following will guarantee returns in the short and long run.
