Category: Music Industry Insights
Analyses on the current trends, challenges, and opportunities within the music industry.
AI Can Make Songs – But Can It Make Culture?
The music industry has encountered disruption before, AI won’t be the first. From the decline of physical sales to the rise of streaming platforms, each technological shift has redefined how music is distributed, consumed, and monetized. Yet the current moment signals something far more fundamental. Artificial intelligence is no longer operating at the margins of…
Michael Jackson: The Algorithm Still Bows — How the King of Pop Reclaimed the Digital Crown
Sixteen years after his passing, Michael Jackson has once again repositioned himself at the centre of global music consumption; this time not through radio, MTV, or physical sales, but through the very systems that define modern music: streaming and digital metrics. According to Kworb data circulating across platforms, Jackson has ascended to the #1 Global…
Lira ’s Return: Music, Neurological Recovery, and the Reconstitution of Artistic Identity
Lira’s return following her 2022 stroke offers a deeper lens into music as therapy, the reconstruction of voice, and the question of sustainability within African music. The trajectory of an artist’s career is often evaluated through continuity. – measured by sustained output, public visibility, and uninterrupted engagement with audiences. Within this framework, interruption is frequently…
Building the Room: How ONErpm Is Creating Space for Women in African Music
In an industry often defined by access, visibility, and power dynamics, the most radical act is sometimes the simplest: like Onerpm is – creating a room and being intentional about who it is built for. Less than a fortnight ago in Nairobi, ONErpm quietly convened over 30 women across the Kenyan music ecosystem for an…
Pan-African Music Collaborations You Should Know
Across timelines and social feeds, Africans love a good debate. From jollof wars to the perennial question of who does it better – Lagos, South Africa, Tanzania, or Nairobi – culture has always been a source of pride, and at times, playful division. Food, fashion, language, and even nation-building narratives have shaped how we see…
Afrobeats Built a Movement, Now It Needs Institutions
Over the past two decades, African music – particularly Afrobeats – has transformed from a regional sound into one of the most powerful cultural exports in the world. From Lagos to London, Accra to Atlanta, and Nairobi to New York, the rhythms, language, and energy of African artists now move through global charts, festival stages,…
Entertainment Week Africa Curates Creative Connect Amid 2026 Grammys Weekend Buzz
Entertainment Week Africa hosted Creative Connect, an exclusive and intimate gathering during Grammys Weekend designed to convene senior decision-makers and Africa’s leading creative innovators. The high-level event created a strategic platform for global industry leaders and African creative executives to foster collaboration, strengthen cross-continental partnerships, and accelerate the growth of Africa’s $50 billion+ creative economy….
From Afrobeats to BAFTAs: What African Creative Validation Really Means
At the EE British Academy Film Awards, when Wale Davies and Akinola Davies Jr. won Outstanding British Debut for My Father’s Shadow, the applause felt larger than cinema. It felt familiar. Because for those paying attention, this wasn’t just a film victory. It was a structural echo of something African music has already lived through….
TikTok and Apple Music Launch Full Song Streaming & Listening Parties
TikTok has expanded its music streaming integration through a new partnership with Apple Music, introducing full-song playback and real-time Listening Parties within the social video platform. The beta rollout signals a deeper convergence between short-form video, streaming services, and digital music monetization, reshaping how fans discover and consume music directly inside TikTok. TikTok’s “Play Full…
68th Grammy Awards: What the Night Reveals About Music, Power, and the Future
The 68th Grammy Awards returned to Los Angeles with all the theatre, prestige, and cultural tension that now defines Music’s Biggest Night. Held in the heart of L.A. and organised by the Recording Academy, the ceremony once again reminded the world that the Grammys are not just an award show; they are a mirror reflecting…