Zim artists return little music streaming revenue – UNESCO report

This is according to a survey conducted by UNESCO in October, which is based on the modes of music consumption in Zimbabwe and was commissioned by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe. 

The study was led by UNESCO music expert Yarri Camara, who said that the lacklustre returns to artists were worrisome because 34% of Zimbabweans consumed music primarily via streaming services, while only 6% were mainly purchasing physical CDs.

“Musicians seem to lag behind consumers in moving online as 15% of Zimbabwean musicians still do not have their music available on any streaming platform,” Camara said. “Of those who do stream their music, 77% utilise the YouTube platform.”

The survey also shows that only 27% of consumers who listened to music via streaming platforms had a paid subscription, which means that most of the consumers streaming audio were using free subscription tiers.

“Only 8% of consumers do not use any streaming platforms regularly, that is, at least once a week, while YouTube is by far the most commonly accessed streaming platform used by 78% of consumers,” she said.

The survey results will be integrated into a wider market analysis of Zimbabwe’s music sector, which will inform the future Zimbabwe music strategy. It was conducted under the framework of the EU-UNESCO Expert Facility for the governance of culture in developing countries and is part of the country's strategy for the sustainable development of Cultural and Creative Industries in Zimbabwe project with focus on the music sector.

"A total of 363 responses were registered, off which 357 were valid respondents. The data on music consumption are quite robust with a margin of error around 5.2%," Camara said. "The data, however, may be skewed towards urban dwellers, who made up 86% of the sample. Given the mode of survey administration [online], the results are also skewed towards consumers who are regularly online. The data on musicians have a slightly higher margin of error as the sample is smaller."

Music In Africa spoke to two music professionals to gather their views on the survey's findings. Zimbabwean musician Masa Caroleen said that "there are some sales, but not many. People tend to stream more than they buy, hence the money comes in very slowly."

Journalist and music critic Plot Mhako says the report makes some interesting findings and exposes the sad reality about the struggling music industry in Zimbabwe.

"Despite the shift towards digital music consumption following the COVID-19 pandemic, the uptake in Zimbabwe still remains low by both artists and consumers. WhatsApp remains one of the most prominent distribution platforms of choice for artists based on its accessibility and convenience, making it difficult to collect data and generate revenue.” 

He added: “There is still a lack of knowledge about online distribution among fans, poor infrastructure and challenges to access digital music platforms. This is further compounded by a stifled economy and the poor banking systems. I think the report should be a strong wake-up call for artists and players in the music industry."

The full survey is available for download below.