The mobile synergy of the African creative industries

The African entertainment and arts scene could quite possibly be one of the only industries on the continent that has seen steady upward growth across Africa for decades. Currently for example, Nigerian's film industry is reportedly valued at around N522 billion (1.75 billion US dollars). For the past decade, there has been an intense use of online media such as YouTube and Tumblr to promote culture of Africa and its' diaspora (see: idamawatu channel which has garnered almost 300 million views). This has greatly enhanced collaboration among artists and finally given platform for contemporary creatives/artisans. However, there is dire lack of organized structure for collecting the works done my various artists. There is a high-valued market for African art and establishing channels on YouTube and Tumblr as a source is just the first step. As described in a brief piece on aoAfrica, many mobile networks in Africa are in a varying state of simultaneously transitioning between "e-commerce" (online storefronts and mobile money) and "social media". African creative industries can take the first step in using technology to take these current stages a step further and develop rich media content (think: Apps, Spotify, Pandora, online magazines).

However, if organizations such as the African Union put emphasis on structuring creative industries around central physical "collectives" that can translate works of artists/artisans to rich online media content, these communities can act as curators as well as business mediators between artists and more commercial entities. Artists can receive royalty payments easier As described in a workshop paper sponsored by The World Bank on the African music industry, almost no African music market has a piracy level less than 25%. This uncertain business environment drives musicians to great lengths in order to stretch profit.

...because artists have no expectation of receiving any royalties from record sales –because of piracy and the inadequate collections of royalties -- they expect a bigger single up-front payment. This one-off payment system creates problems for international companies. They have the expectation of a lower initial advance, and then, of course, the expectation to pay the royalties. Thus, they expect the artist to work together with them to sell the album. However, for an artist who is just getting a one-off payment, the only way to make money is by recording the absolute maximum number of albums and doing as many of these deals as possible.  

The authors conclude that there is indeed a need for collection hubs for artists/artisans. These physical collectives could be based on region as shown below:

Building structure and collaboration through art.
Original map: ECOworld

• West African Collective (ORANGE)
• Central African Collective *incl. South Sudan (BLUE)
• South (PURPLE)
• East (GOLD)
• North (GREEN)

They could also be based on language---main centers being Francophone, Anglophone, Lusophone--- however, these long established borders of lingua franca have long caused division within various African entertainment scenes.

Once strong communities of artists and artisans and can be established, this can then make it more effective for mobile-based tech applications. For instance, you take a fairly new media app such as Spinlet, which is designed to enhance legal music downloads for African artists, it can easily expand it's markets through the facilitation of collectives. I'm also under the impression that high-quality streaming services similar to Pandora and Spotify would sit well with many African consumers. African Film Library is another extraordinary service that could benefit from the on-the-ground stimulation of local/regional artist collection societies.

I think what is most beneficial regarding African collectives in the arts is the green lighting of more efficient and respectable collaboration. Collaboration transcends language, ethnic group and political views. Artists/artisans create intersectional dialogue in a way that other fields cannot. Imagine: stimulating local economies to create sustainable, cultural African fabrics that is not just subject to the seasonal "pattern" trend. Real textile? Advertised throughout online galleries and sold for commercial export?

One can dream no?

PS: To learn more about Spinlet check out this interview with Chairman Eric Idiah on Ventures Africa.