The transformation of Africa’s music business

This final part of a trilogy on the evolution of African popular music focuses on the growing influence of the continent’s rhythms as a global cultural force.

What better way to celebrate Africa Day on May 25 than weighing up some of the achievements of a new generation of artists from the continent?

With a median age of 19, Africa’s young population provides a thriving ground for art and creativity, and it is no wonder that this demographic is driving music trends and shaping the booming Afro-inspired sounds across the continent and the world.

There is a rise in Afro-consciousness as manifested in music and other popular cultural formats like fashion and visual art. The current generation of African artistes is tapping into their heritage to reimagine classic melodies which has given rise to Hiplife, a fusion of classic highlife with contemporary beats in Ghana.

In Nigeria, Alté (shorthand for alternative) is an eclectic fusion of Afrobeats, R&B, reggae, dancehall and hip-hop with a retro fashion style of Western dress and African fabrics.

Alté has been popularised by Tems, this year’s winner of the Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance, and Rema who became a global star thanks to his 2022 hit song Calm Down.

Closer home, a blend of classic urban music, Gengetone, with 90s Jamaican dancehall riddims and Hip hop spawned Arbantone which has driven up consumption of Kenyan music locally but has yet to establish a firm global footprint. Domestic consumption of Kenyan music rose by a massive 277 percent over the past three years, according to data from Spotify.

The popularity of streaming services like Spotify, Boomplay, YouTube Music and Apple Music has ensured that music is more accessible now than at any other time in the past.

Data from Spotify reveals that Kenya’s music exports increased by 94 percent in 2024 and global listeners spent on average over 120,000 hours playing Kenyan music.

Social media is also playing a huge role in promoting African music and it is not inconceivable for a virtually unknown artiste to become a global star when a TikTok viral challenge goes viral.

Research has shown that high engagement on social media directly leads to increased streaming numbers for artistes and their songs. Kenyan singer/songwriter Sofiya Nzau gained international fame when her song Mwaki was remixed by Brazilian DJ Zerb and spread via TikTok in 2023.

Artistes have an additional revenue stream as the platform pays royalties through the Creator Fund/Rewards programmes, even though many of them have dismissed the rates are abysmal.

The entire concept of music marketing has been revolutionised, taken from the hands of the big music labels that traditionally dominated the industry.

Instead, there are more independent African outfits, like Mavin Records founded by Nigerian producer Michael Ajereh (Don Jazzy) or Wasafi Records, the brainchild of Tanzanian star Diamond Platnumz, enjoying control over their own music and launching their artistes directly to their target market.

In 2024, Universal Music Group announced a majority investment in Afrobeats giant, Mavin Global, which may signal a trend of global music giants seeking partnerships with the new kids on the African block.

The era of booking expensive studio time for recording sessions in elaborate facilities has disappeared. Instead, African producers now possess the equipment to record high-quality audio in the comfort of their living rooms and launch the music directly on social media, with little fuss.

Through Pan-African partnerships, artistes are now able to explore new markets through cross-genre collaborations, recorded and produced without the hindrance of physical borders.

Diamond Platnumz, arguably the most successful artiste in East Africa, has perfected strategic collaborations with Nigerian Afrobeats artistes and South African amapiano stars to gain a foothold for himself in those lucrative markets.

The commercial viability of African music can be measured in industry figures published by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, whose latest report shows that music revenue in Africa grew by 22 percent in 2024, to $110 million with 67.3 percent of that income generated through streaming subscriptions.

The streaming platforms have launched special artiste development programmes geared toward promoting the next generation of superstars from Africa.

The alumni of Apple Music Up Next programme include heavyweights like Burna Boy, Tems, and Rema while Spotify’s Equal Artist celebrates African women changing the face of music.

In February 2025, South African Grammy Award winner Tyla “Queen of Popiano” (Popiano is an amalgam of pop and amapiano) whose career was supported by the Equal Programme, became the first African solo artiste to surpass one billion streams on Spotify thanks to her massive hit song Water.

Even with all the phenomenal developments in the music industry in recent years, Africa still lags behind much of the world, punching way below its weight considering the untapped creative and commercial opportunities that lie in the continent with the world’s youngest population.

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