Wizkid Is Launching a Streaming Service so Artists Can “Actually Get Revenue Into Their Pockets”

In a recent interview with Robert Bruce on British radio station Capital Xtra, Wizkid expressed his intention to create a new kind of streaming service. Like others, it will allow artists to put out their music and market it. But what will differentiate Wizkid’s platform is that artists will actually get a decent payout.

“We intend to create a streaming platform for people to be able to market their music, put out their music and actually get revenue right into their pockets,” the singer stated.

Wizkid also said in the interview that he and his partners will be conducting a 20-country talent hunt. They hope to find the best artists in every African country and sign them up for the new service. He wants to “collaborate with them and see what we can do for the culture.”

While the singer did not go into details about how the platform would operate, some are speculating that it could be a variant of SoundCloud with some differences in monetization.

Last year, South African Black Coffee indicated that he was planning to launch a streaming service called GongBox. But he has since provided no further information about the ambitious launch.

In the past, some big name American artists have gotten involved in their own streaming services. Most famously, Jay-Z and some of his allies in the industry purchased WiMP, then quickly rebranded it into Tidal. Country star Garth Brooks also started a digital music service called GhostTunes back in 2014, though it was eventually incorporated into Amazon Music. Elsewhere, Bandzoogle is enabling artists to set up direct subscription platforms for fans, effectively bypassing the minuscule, fractional-penny payouts of Spotify.

A few weeks ago, Wizkid released a song called “Joro,” which has already experienced worldwide success. In 2016, he collaborated with Drake on his hit song “One Dance,” and he also collaborated with Beyonce on “Brown Skin Girl.” In 2017, RCA Records signed him to a multi-album deal.

Source: Digital Music News