IFPI’s Angela Ndambuki receives Pacesetters Award

Ndambuki won the Enabling Business Growth Technologically Award for her role in streamlining the management of music by rightsholders through the official introduction of the International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) in the region. The ISRC identifies sound and music video recordings, and is central to royalty collection by rights management organisations in the music industry. The use of ISRCs has also been particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic when most music consumption occurred digitally.

“The fact that the awards have recognised the efforts and contributions we’ve made in the recording industry in sub-Saharan Africa is indeed a monumental step in the right direction in terms of appreciating that music is business,” Ndambuki said.

The award also comes at a time when the African music industry is on the rise, especially with the penetration of Afrobeats and amapiano around the world.

Since the establishment of ISRC administration in Africa, IFPI has started allocating ISRC prefix codes to record producers across the region and spearheaded partnerships with governments and rightsholders.

“We believe that the establishment of ISRC administration in the region is an opportunity for the region’s recorded music industry to have a sustainable data management model, improve its mapping of the industry, and consequently register greater value,” Ndambuki added.

Apart from her role at IFPI, Ndambuki is also the chairperson of the Intellectual Property Committee at the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) and a director at the Kenya Association of Music Producers (KAMP). She is the former CEO of the KNCCI and the Performers Rights Society of Kenya (PRISK).