SA joins digital music mainstream

The demand for music streaming services is growing as digital sales outstrip physical ones

This week South African music duo Darkie Fiction’s song Bhoza made it on to Apple Music’s A-list of songs out of Africa for 2018, placing them among the continent’s superstars.

The independent new-age kwaito duo was formed just over a year ago and released their debut EP Sobabini in July. Five months later, the duo is topping the charts with big African stars, such as Wizkid and Davido, who, on average, have between 1.3-million and 2.6-million listeners a month on music-streaming platform Spotify. Newcomer Darkie Fiction, with just 319 listeners, is rubbing shoulders with the giants.

Streaming is reshaping the musical landscape. Digital streaming revenue in South Africa grew by 334% in 2016, according to the 2017 Global Music Report from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry’s (IFPI).

It does not mention what amount the revenue grew from, but database company Statista said South African income from the music-streaming segment was $21-million in 2018.

The Global Music Report shows that, in 2017, digital revenue around the world increased by 19.1% to $9.4-billion. For the first time in history, digital revenue accounted for more than half (54%) of the total recorded revenue in the music industry worldwide. The increase was mainly driven by a global surge in streaming, which was up by 41.1%. Paid subscriptions rose by 45.5%.

Artists generally don’t make as much money from streaming services as they would from digital downloads on platforms such as itunes. In 2017, revenue for digital downloads declined by 20.5% and made up just 20% of global digital revenue, according to the IFPI’S report.

Converted into rand terms, Spotify pays artists 5c a stream, Apple Music 11c, Google and Deezer 8c and Tidal’s is 18c, according to data collected by the Trichordist.

“It has certainly changed the way that South Africans consume music and it is significantly helping with the fight against piracy as music streaming as a value offering is such an affordable and attractive means to consuming music,” said Warrick Percy, the head of licensing and business development at the Composers Authors and Publishers Association.

Darkie Fiction’s appearance on the A-list is not only a testament to their talent but also to the changing landscape of the South African music industry, where digital streaming platforms have created greater access for everyone.