Malawian music streaming startup Mvelani has raised US$57,000 in funding from an angel investor which it will use to launch mobile apps and expand to Nigeria.
Launched early last year by Dumisani Kpanga, Mvelani lets artists share their music on the platform by creating an account and uploading songs. Users are then able to stream this music.
Kpanga claims the platform already has thousands of users, with the aim being for Mvelani to become the biggest online platform for African music. He said the majority of modern music consumption generates little money for artists, a problem Mvelani was tackling.
The startup has now raised funding from an individual angel, which it plans to use to launch mobile apps to allow users to listen to songs offline.
“We also want to offer localised advertising targeted at African businesses, so if you are in Lusaka we will be able to serve adverts from businesses near you,” Kpanga told Disrupt Africa.
“We are also planning on increasing our footprint in Nigeria. We have to date been focused on the Malawian market and want to expand from there.”
Mvelani claims that by bringing listeners to its platform it migrates them away from piracy and less monetised platforms, allow artists to generate far greater royalties.
