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We now know that Spotify is visible and accessible to music lovers and listeners in Nigeria and 80 other countries where there was no direct access before, what does this mean for Nigerian music, for other digital streaming platforms, for music distribution companies like Tuneafrique; and why is this move so strategic right now?!
The obvious mention of "Nigeria" on the streaming app's Twitter announcement in February left fans of Nigerian music ecstatic as the access to the streaming platform with reportedly one of the deepest global digital catalogues was limited before now, and the launch gives Nigerian subscribers the same opportunity as music lovers from other parts of the world to own the app, Stream and Listen to their favourite artists directly, Spotify Nigeria has received a warm welcome.
The music scene here is highly competitive, especially amongst the fans of top tier artists who are already on a fan-watch and comparatively monitoring monthly listenership on an exponential rise. Fan reports on twitter claim Burna Boy is reportedly one of the artistes with the biggest number of listeners surpassing his 8M listeners mark days after the launch in Nigeria, Wizkid is said to have garnered 1.18M streams for his "Made In Lagos" album in a short space of three days, and even artistes like Sarkodie from Ghana has his fifth largest listenership from Nigeria. Other countries that now have Spotify Live on their music radar include Ghana, South Korea, Pakistan, Nepal, Botswana, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Azerbaijan.
Nigerian artists themselves have sprung up to plug in their Spotify content as direct access now means regular use and therefore a growing fan base that the world can actually recognise. There has also been an interesting wave of streaming platform migration amongst listeners who have always been excited about the transparency and accuracy of Spotify as a platform, with numerous mentions across social media, despite the obvious challenge of payment with the debit cards of some Nigerian banks, for users who are seeking to have premium subscription.
Another interesting concern is the monthly royalty payouts for artistes, many wonder how favourable the system will be in Nigeria and what the worth of a stream will be, especially in comparison to other countries. It is still too early to draw a conclusion on what the effect of Spotify in Nigeria will mean for the industry as a whole, but like you, we are watching, and would be sure to bring you updates on our observations.
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Hembadoon is a Singer, Songwriter and Artists & Label Services Director Nigeria and Anglophone West Africa at TuneAfrique Distribution. With the team, she is currently on a drive to get as many artists in the inner cities of Nigeria to take advantage of the DIY opportunity on Tuneafrique.com to monetize their music; she writes from Lagos. FB/IG/T: @hembabubba