Apple Music now available in Namibia: Artists react
MICHAEL KAYUNDE
WINDHOEK
Technology giant Apple has officially included Namibia among 17 additional African countries where it has recently switched on its streaming service.
According to Wikipedia, Apple Music is a music and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. “Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing, curated playlists.
“The service also includes the internet radio station Beats 1, which broadcasts live to over 100 countries 24 hours a day.”
Streaming services
Because of the high rate of music piracy in Namibia, most artists' source of income is derived from live shows and not much is earned through music sales. There are already music streaming services available in Namibia; some proudly Namibian-owned such as Donlu Africa and PlayBits, and some international.
The availability of more streaming services means musicians can put their music on global, user-friendly platforms, which translates into an increase in revenue.
With shows either being cancelled or postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus lockdown, Apple Inc could not have picked a better time to avail the service.
Local impact
Speaking to tjil on what this means for her and the music scene, singer ML said it's exciting to see Apple Music opening up all features and services to us Namibians, because as supporters of their products, we deserve all services like everyone else. “As an artist, I'm happy because it means my music becomes widely accessible for streaming.
“Most times, people rather stream than buy a song and this is actually the value add we get as Namibian artists.
“The improvement is that now we can stream, play offline and perhaps start being featured on playlists. It's equivalent to Spotify and not having Spotify yet means we can now at least benefit from Apple Music,” she said.
ML added artists still need to put in the work to become visible on global playlists. “So, we still have to push for recognition before we can benefit monetary wise.”
Doesn't mean much
Adding to the conversation, LMPC, who is dubbed the king of streams with over 200 000 listens on SoundCloud, said he thinks it's a great move, but for now, it doesn't mean much.
“It is going to make music more accessible, yes. But that accessibility isn't going to change anything for the music scene if artists don't make the music amazing enough for people to want access to it via that platform and pay a subscription fee every month,” he said.
Apple charges U$2.99, which is about N$60 per month, for a single membership. This gives users access to the full library, expert recommendations, the platform's take on the best new music, and more.
WINDHOEK
Technology giant Apple has officially included Namibia among 17 additional African countries where it has recently switched on its streaming service.
According to Wikipedia, Apple Music is a music and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. “Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing, curated playlists.
“The service also includes the internet radio station Beats 1, which broadcasts live to over 100 countries 24 hours a day.”
Streaming services
Because of the high rate of music piracy in Namibia, most artists' source of income is derived from live shows and not much is earned through music sales. There are already music streaming services available in Namibia; some proudly Namibian-owned such as Donlu Africa and PlayBits, and some international.
The availability of more streaming services means musicians can put their music on global, user-friendly platforms, which translates into an increase in revenue.
With shows either being cancelled or postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus lockdown, Apple Inc could not have picked a better time to avail the service.
Local impact
Speaking to tjil on what this means for her and the music scene, singer ML said it's exciting to see Apple Music opening up all features and services to us Namibians, because as supporters of their products, we deserve all services like everyone else. “As an artist, I'm happy because it means my music becomes widely accessible for streaming.
“Most times, people rather stream than buy a song and this is actually the value add we get as Namibian artists.
“The improvement is that now we can stream, play offline and perhaps start being featured on playlists. It's equivalent to Spotify and not having Spotify yet means we can now at least benefit from Apple Music,” she said.
ML added artists still need to put in the work to become visible on global playlists. “So, we still have to push for recognition before we can benefit monetary wise.”
Doesn't mean much
Adding to the conversation, LMPC, who is dubbed the king of streams with over 200 000 listens on SoundCloud, said he thinks it's a great move, but for now, it doesn't mean much.
“It is going to make music more accessible, yes. But that accessibility isn't going to change anything for the music scene if artists don't make the music amazing enough for people to want access to it via that platform and pay a subscription fee every month,” he said.
Apple charges U$2.99, which is about N$60 per month, for a single membership. This gives users access to the full library, expert recommendations, the platform's take on the best new music, and more.
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