Disruptive innovation: exploring the impact of skiza tunes on the Kenyan music industry

Abstract

This paper explores Skiza Tunes' impact on the music industry. In the process, the research sought answers on how Skiza Tunes disrupted the Kenyan music industry, the Skiza Tunes platform’s intermediary role, and its exploitative propensities. It initiates a discussion on Skiza Tunes’ disruptive innovation focusing on its business model, platform capitalism. The researcher will undertake a comprehensive literature review on platform capitalism, disruptive innovations and access-based services’ impact on the music industry. Spotify is an access-based service that thrives through platform capitalism. The researcher also conducts in-depth interviews with Kenyan artists, focussing on their opinions on the impact of Skiza Tunes on their socio-economic development. Skiza Tunes is significantly transforming the Kenyan music industry by generating new artist revenue streams. However, limited literature exists on the impact of Skiza Tunes on the music industry. Several questions still linger on the intermediary role of the Skiza Tunes, revenue splits and its exploitative propensities. There should be deliberate efforts to overhaul the education systems to reflect the current technological innovations. The skilled labour expected to drive these disruptive innovations does not get the necessary education, which slows down the adaption of these technologies in the music industry.

Digital literacy for musicians: Navigating music streaming services for independent artists in Kenya

“…Musicians entering into these agreements find themselves navigating a complex legal soundscape (Hesmondhalgh, 2021;Kirui et al, 2022). Licensing agreements delineate the terms under which music can be used, spanning various mediums such as streaming services and advertisements.…”

“…Morris (2020) alludes that MSS "connect artists with a global audience of listeners in an attempt to monetise a massive network of music listening activities" (p. 7). Through the massive support of social media, MSS allows artists to reach a diverse audience and receive royalties for their work, providing a significant source of income (Kirui et al, 2022). Given the prevalence of smartphones, mobile devices and the internet in Kenya, MSS has become a primary means of music creation, distribution and consumption (Beukelaer & Eisenberg, 2020), making it crucial for independent artists to be proficient in how to navigate and leverage MSS.…”

Free music streaming for Kenyan independent artists: A blessing in disguise?

“…MSS introduced two significant revenue models for artists: freemium and premium. Freemium models offer free access to music for users, supported by advertisements, while premium models provide an ad-free experience for a subscription fee (Mai & Hu, 2023;Killa & Upadhyay, 2022;Kirui et al, 2022). In the freemium model, artists receive compensation based on the number of streams and advertisement impressions.…”

“…With social media platforms as a marketing tool, artists have created diverse revenue streams. Kirui et al (2022) and , among other scholars, have identified alternative revenue streams for artists, including brand ambassadorships, endorsements, influencers, and live performances, beyond traditional record sales. also justified this assertion by stating, "To harness more wealth, Zimbabwean musicians should think of more creative ideas like merchandising" (p. 637).…”

“…In the present 'pro-rata' system, even if that user never played a single recording by superstars such as Drake or Taylor Swift, a proportion of that user's subscription fee would go to the owners of rights to those superstars' recordings and underlying compositions, split according to terms agreed in various contracts and agreements that vary between countries on how rights revenues are divided (Hesmondhalgh, 2021, p. 3608). Antal et al (2021), Hesmondhalgh (2021) and Kirui et al (2022), among other scholars, highlight the limited transparency of music streaming platforms as posing hurdles for artists, particularly independent ones with dedicated fan bases, to grasp their earnings per stream. As emphasised by Tovar (2021), platforms like Spotify and Apple Music diminish artists' bargaining power due to intricate royalty distribution among rights holders.…”