When Danish national, Martin Nielsen, moved to Kenya to work with a venture capital firm, he quickly switched gears after spotting an opportunity in streaming music and selling downloads.
To hit that goal, it is focusing on Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana and Nigeria, offering a platform that does not require high data consumption or storage space, he said.Some of the most popular downloads on Mdundo include gospel music from Kenya’s most populous ethnic group, Kikuyu, and music in the Hausa language in Nigeria.
Music fans who use illegal sites, 93 per cent of the total according to Mdundo, are also switching to sites like Mdundo, which share their income with musicians. “We have a way to commercialise our music,” said Kenyan musician Nviiri who paused from strumming his guitar in his studio to check how his music is doing on Mdundo.com via his mobile phone.