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Africa is wide open for music streaming. Swedish streaming giant Spotify has expanded its footprint to more than 40 African countries, adding several this year to the handle where it had been available since 2018.
Spotify’s expansion offers Africa’s predominantly young population another music streaming option. The company took its time to expand its service to ensure it had the right product for the continent, said Gustav Gyllenhammar, vice president of markets and subscriber growth at Spotify.
“We didn’t just want to be another music service. We really wanted to deliver a real mix of global and local music and content for Africa, â€he said.
The expansion will also make the landscape more competitive for local streaming services. While many local services have fallen apart, new ones, like Zimbabwe’s Gateway Stream Music, are still in the works. Gateway was launched in December.
The company’s Taremeredzwa Chipepera said his music selection is currently only Zimbabwean.
“To date, we already have 2,500 artists on the platform. We’ve been able to recruit a lot of your old music as well as new artists, â€he said. “So the local was the first phase, and we are now heading to Africa and beyond. “
Like Spotify, Gateway flow offers free access. The company is still deciding on a figure for its premium subscription. Spotify’s Gyllenhammar said its premium tier costs $ 2-3 per month in African markets.
Fungai Kush Zvirawa directs South Africa-based Zimbabwean Amapiano singer Charmaine Shamiso Mapimbiro, known professionally as Sha Sha. Zvirawa said Spotify’s expansion in Africa is good news for its artists.
“There is the prospect of global distribution. Every artist who subscribes to Spotify has a better chance of being heard in China, America, Europe and so on, â€she said.
Competition from Spotify will give consumers more options. However, local services may feel this competition even more once Spotify offers additional potential subscribers the option to pay in their local currency.
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