New TikTok deal is big win for South African musicians
TikTok has quickly shown its influence and the power it holds within the international music scene.
In 2020, Billboard reported that 48% of people between the ages of 13 and 23-years-old in the US watch videos of musicians on TikTok.
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Although we don't really need a bunch of stats to know that TikTok has taken over the music industry and the effect it has on everything from the charts to the Grammy awards.
Since 2016 the app has racked up more than two billion downloads worldwide and South Africa alone boasts over six million users.
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And if there is any question as to how this app can be used to boost an artist let's use the one-and-only Master KG as an example.
In 2020 his hit Jerusalema became an international sensation when the #Jerusalema dance challenge went viral with the song being used in videos that accumulated over a billion times! The success of the song on the social media platform led to Jerusalema becoming a chart-topping hit in countries like Belgium and Switzerland.
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Now there is more great news for local musicians hoping to reap the TikTok benefits.
The Southern African Music Rights Organisation (Samro) and Composers Authors and Publishers Association (Capasso) have reached a new licensing deal with the company.
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The multi-year licensing agreement is covering over 58 African territories but what does it mean for South African artists?
Well, registered SA musicians, which include songwriters, music publishers, and composers will receive all royalties when their music is used on the app.
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Capasso has more than 7,000 registered members and requires an administration fee of R100 for artists and R250 for publishers, while Samro has no membership or signup fee. The two might also be separate entities but in order to reap this new licensing agreement's benefits, the musicians have to be registered members at BOTH.
Wiseman Ngubo, Capasso’s chief operations officer, spoke to Business Insider South Africa, further explaining why this is such an important win for many African musicians.
We are happy to have reached an agreement with TikTok in order to ensure that pan-African songwriters are taken care of on the platform. With the increasing spotlight on African music, more African songwriters are poised to reach global superstar status and TikTok will play a major role in showcasing their talents to the world.
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Last year music industry giants Sony Music and Warner Music Group signed new global licensing agreements with TikTok, and most recently Universal Music Group has also entered into similar agreements.
While we might not be music industry experts we do know that this new deal is great news for our local musicians and is much needed during these trying times.
For more of the best Darren, Keri, and Sky moments, listen here:
Main image courtesy of iStock