Mozambican music streaming startup Mozik is set to launch to the public at the end of next month, offering artists the chance to earn money from their digital content.
Mozik has spun out of Maputo-based music publishing and distribution company GMUSIC Lda, which is also a record label, founded by Guerte Geraldo Bambo in 2012.
Having spent the last few years investing in young artists and helping to develop the small Mozambican publishing system, Bambo realised there were challenges when it came to artists effectively monetising their music.
“With three years of experience, something was clear: the Mozambican music “industry” will never gain relevancy if musicians don’t make money out of their music,” he told Disrupt Africa.
“This is a country where 90 per cent of musicians end up poor even with the entire country dancing to and singing along to their songs, and it’s sad.”
The aim of Mozik is to change the game and offer musicians a chance to sell their songs online, while assisting in building up the local music industry and helping people find music more easily.
The mobile streaming service – which will have both freemium and premium options – has already been soft-launched for 5,000 people to test and been reviewed well. An official launch is planned for August 25, with Bambo and his team now resolving issues with payment systems.
“According to our pricing strategy and our potential market there is a US$14 million potential content market out there,” he said.
“People download songs every day due to the availability of free content. And 90 per cent of that content is available for free because musicians give them for free, and they do so because they don’t have anywhere to give away their music in exchange for money. We want to start exploring that opportunity.”
Bambo has so far been the sole founder of both GMUSIC and Mozik, but is in the process of raising further investment to allow the new music streaming service to scale.
“We are currently launching in Mozambique, with only Mozambican content. We plan to expand to other relevant countries – countries with demand for Mozambican and African music – as well as bring international content to our service. We also plan to integrate our streaming service with cars, offices and homes.”
