Kenya: Safaricom to launch music app

This was announced by the company’s CEO, Bob Collymore, at a recent Skiza Tune forum in Mombasa, Kenya. Musicians were given insights into how to protect themselves using intellectual property rights after joining the Skiza platform. The new app is expected to be rolled out next month.

“Skiza is great but you need to be able to stream your music,” Collymore told the gathering. “The people need to be able to stream and buy your full tracks. That is why we are launching a Safaricom music app where you can put your music for sale. I don’t believe your music should be free, it doesn’t work for me.”

The platform will see the more than 14 000 artists enrolled with Skiza earn 30% per song, up from the current 22%. The earnings will be paid through their respective content service providers (CSPs), which will then pay the musicians in accordance with the contracts they have signed and in line with recent legal directives.

“The spirit of Skiza is to ensure that Kenyan artists earn from their creativity,” Collymore said. “We will commit to continue to explore more ways in which we can empower artists to help them make a living from their work.”

Early this year, the Kenyan government refused to renew the licence of the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) after it failed to account for the money collected and distributed for the year ending June 2016. Despite that, the MCSK continued with its operations until 22 February when the High Court of Kenyan ordered that the society halt the collection of royalties on behalf of musicians. The case continues on 25 June 2017.

The new app will also allow artists to keep track of their income on the platform. The reporting will be available on a real-time basis and will enable artists to view their own earnings, a shift from the previous situation which saw only CSPs access the portal. Artist will also receive free legal assistance from Safaricom. This will be in the form of a number of legal clinics and through experts in copyright and entertainment law.

“I look forward to the launch of the app,” James Gogo, leader of Kenyan jazz band Gogosimo, said.  “Safaricom has given us the key to monitor our own success which is the transparency we need as artists.”