Broadcasting
For the Record” Podcast Spotlights Fast-Growing African Music Scene, ft. DaVido, Burna Boy, Others
The next episode of Spotify: For the Record, a podcast sharing fresh, illuminating insights from the music industry in a way only Spotify can, is out now.
Following on from Spotify’s recent launch into 39 new African markets, which was announced during the Stream On event on 22 February, the new episode titled “Afropop to Amapiano: African Music Ignites,” takes listeners on a journey across the continent from Nigeria to Kenya, spotlighting the diverse cultures and sounds of a musical hotbed for expanding genres like Amapiano and Gengetone, and popular collaborations between African artists and mainstream Western stars.
The episode features interviews with a roster of African stars, including recent Grammy-winner Burna Boy and fellow Nigerian DaVido, who shares how key collabs with Nas and Nicki Minaj were born in the bathroom and in his DM’s.
Also featured is Kenya’s celebrated musician-producer-DJ Blinky Bill, and South African RADAR artist Focalistic, whose track “Ke Star” is gaining worldwide attention. Listeners also hear from Nigeria’s RADAR artist Tems, who reveals how it feels to be featured on President Barack Obama’s playlists and gives a taste of “alté”.
In the podcast, Davido speaks about how he ended up collaborating with Nas: “When I was in L.A., you know, Hit Boy had a whole studio booked out and apparently him and Nas were working in one of the rooms.
I was in the other room working. And then I just had to pee. So, I went to the bathroom, and coming out the bathroom I see Nas. I’m like, ‘What??’ And then he chopped it up. And we did our record that same day. Very weird and crazy.”
Hosts Shanon Cook and Kevin Turner, along with Spotify’s Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa, Phiona Okumu, also share fascinating new insights into how Spotify listeners around the world are responding to music from Africa, one of the world’s fastest-growing music markets. They unveil some key data points from the first 30 days since Spotify launched in the new sub-Saharan markets, these include that:
- French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura was the most-streamed African artist globally in the past year (her song “Djadja” has been streamed more than half a billion times); Burna Boy was second.
- Four out of five of the top five most-streamed artists in Nigeria are from Nigeria: WizKid, Burna Boy, and DaVido top the list, followed by Drake, and then Nigeria’s Rema coming in fifth.
- In Kenya, one local artist made it into the top five – Sauti Sol – sandwiched between Drake, Pop Smoke, Justin Bieber and Juice WRLD.
- Ghana’s top five most-streamed artists is a mix: Drake takes the number one slot, followed by two Ghanaian rappers Sarkodie and Kwesi Arthur, with Nigerian neighbours Burna Boy and Davido rounding out the list.
Additional quotes from artists featured on the episode
- Focalistic on collaborating with Davido on a Pan-African “Ke Star” remix: “When we spoke, [Davido] was telling me about how they want to put you know, both worlds together and tell the story the- the way it’s supposed to be, as a Pan-African collaboration.
“And people understand these are two worlds colliding, Nigeria, South Africa, and creating such a beautiful masterpiece. And I’m super proud that, you know, we managed to do that with Ke Star.”
- Burna Boy on paving the way for future generations of talent: “As a kid I had dreams of becoming a proper rockstar. Like I didn’t know what it meant, I just saw it on TV. […] If the younger generation sees that the older generation is doing something and it’s successful, then they’re going to be interested in that thing. And they’re going to probably come out and do it better than their elders.”
- Blinky Bill on the East African music scene: “I don’t feel like there’s been a proper spotlight on what’s going on with the East African music scene, which is sad because I think that a country like Kenya, for example, has so much diversity and could add tons to like just push the envelope of where the sound is and where the sound is going. I feel like in the next few years that’s going to happen. So keep an eye out.”
- Tems on how the pandemic has impacted her work: “Being locked down helped me learn a lot about myself. I’m such a perfectionist. So it definitely increased the perfectionist side. But overall it doesn’t matter what’s going on in the world, I’m always able to express, so no matter what I am doing, as long as I have vocal chords, I’m still going to be able to create music.”
MultiChoice is reportedly testing weekly subscription plans in Uganda, aiming to ease financial pressure on customers struggling with monthly payments.
If successful, the pay-TV giant may expand the model to other African markets as it fights to retain subscribers amid economic challenges, according to the Sunday Times.
The company, which operates in 16 African countries, has seen its subscriber base shrink by 1.2 million in the past year, dropping to 14.5 million.
Half of those losses came from South Africa, where high unemployment and rising living costs have forced households to cut discretionary spending, including DStv subscriptions.
Calvo Mawela, group CEO, MultiChoice, confirmed the weekly subscription trial has been running for seven weeks.
“Within three to six months, we’ll have a good idea if it’s working,” he told the Sunday Times.
“If successful, we’ll expand it to other markets. We believe this approach can help customers in the same way prepaid mobile services revolutionized telecoms.”
MultiChoice faces financial strain from currency depreciation in key markets like Nigeria, Angola, and Ghana, alongside rising inflation.
In South Africa, economic stagnation has further squeezed consumer budgets.
Despite a recent 31% price hike in Nigeria, Mawela remains optimistic, noting that the naira has stabilized and subscriber recovery may follow.
While the new payment option could improve affordability, Mawela dismissed the idea of letting users customize channel bundles, stating, “We still don’t think it works.”
However, MultiChoice is researching tiered packages, including separate sports and entertainment offerings, to boost revenue.
The company is also streamlining costs, targeting R2 billion in savings by 2026 through reduced satellite expenses, better content deals, and fewer decoder subsidies.
As broadband penetration grows, MultiChoice reports a 38% surge in DStv Stream users.
However, its standalone streaming platform, Showmax, has underperformed initial expectations despite a 44% increase in paying subscribers. Mawela admitted the venture’s high costs are unsustainable, prompting talks with partner Comcast NBCUniversal to adjust funding.
“Streaming is the future, but data prices must improve for it to thrive in Africa,” MultiChoice stated.
For now, the company hopes flexible subscriptions and cost controls will stabilize its business as it navigates a tough economic climate.
MultiChoice Nigeria’s subscription revenue declined by 44 per cent to $197.74m in the financial year ended March 2025, down from $355.93m recorded in the same period a year earlier, as rising inflation and a worsening economic climate triggered a mass exit of subscribers.
The sharp revenue drop was driven by “sizeable customer losses in Nigeria as high inflation adds more pressure on consumers,” the company said in its latest financial report. Inflation stood at 23.71 per cent in April 2025, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
The pay-TV provider has lost 1.4 million subscribers in Nigeria since its financial year ended in March 2023.
Nigeria alone accounted for 77 per cent of the 1.8 million subscribers lost across MultiChoice’s Rest of Africa segment, which includes markets such as Kenya, Zambia, and Angola.
Between April and September 2024, the company lost 243,000 subscribers in Nigeria, as macroeconomic and consumer conditions deteriorated further.
At the close of its 2025 fiscal year, MultiChoice reported 14.5 million total subscribers, with 7.5 million of them in RoA. The group attributed part of the overall decline in performance to foreign exchange losses resulting from a 44 per cent depreciation of the naira against the US dollar.
MultiChoice said it incurred foreign exchange losses of $158.19m and managed to remit only $133m from Nigeria at an average exchange rate of N1,589 per dollar, compared to $184m at N1,044 per dollar in the previous year.
“Nigeria’s economic challenges had a significant impact on our Rest of Africa operations, contributing to a 23 per cent drop in RoA subscription revenue to $779.66m,” said Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Group, Calvo Mawela.
Total subscription revenue, including South Africa, declined by 11 per cent year-on-year to $2.27bn. Overall group revenue fell nine per cent to $2.87bn, while operating profit declined by 34 per cent to $263.50m. Trading profit dropped by nearly half to $228.14m.
“Our performance reflects both the challenges we’ve faced and the resilience of our teams,” said Mawela. “While macroeconomic pressures and currency volatility have weighed on our results, our disciplined execution, cost management, and investment in new long-term growth opportunities position us well for the future.”
In spite of its declining linear subscriber base, down 2.8 million across two financial years, MultiChoice reported notable growth in its digital and streaming businesses.
DStv Internet revenue rose 85 per cent, KingMakers grew by 76 per cent in constant currency, DStv Stream increased 48 per cent, and Showmax saw a 44 per cent year-on-year rise in active paying customers.
“Our strategy is shaped by developments in our industry, such as changes in technology which are driving shifts in consumer behaviour, as well as the impact of a rise in piracy, streaming services, and social media,” Mawela said.
Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission (LASERC) has issued a new directive establishing a formal regulatory framework for electricity market operations within Lagos.
With the release of Order No. LASERC ORDER/001/2025, the commission finalizes the shift of oversight from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to LASERC, aligning with the Electricity Act 2023 and Lagos State Electricity Law 2024.
Under the new regulations, individuals or entities involved in electricity-related activities in Lagos must obtain a license or permit from LASERC. Licenses issued by other regulatory bodies will no longer be recognized. Unlicensed operators must immediately halt operations and apply for proper authorization to avoid penalties, which include a fine of ₦20 million and additional daily fines of ₦20,000 for continued violations.
LASERC has encouraged entities unsure of their regulatory status to seek clarification to prevent sanctions. Despite the transition, existing national guidelines, including tariff structures, grid codes, and safety regulations, will remain in effect unless amended.
Dr. Fouad Animashaun, CEO and Executive Commissioner of LASERC, emphasized that the order is designed to ensure a secure, efficient, and reliable electricity market in Lagos.
He reiterated the commission’s commitment to global standards and safeguarding the interests of electricity consumers and investors.
This policy marks a significant shift in the state’s power sector and aims to enhance regulatory compliance while ensuring a more structured and effective electricity market.
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