Music In Africa

What Music In Africa does

Music In Africa is a Johannesburg-based nonprofit digital platform operated by the Music In Africa Foundation that serves as a resource and networking portal for the African music sector. Its core product is a curated directory of 59,375 African music professionals and organizations, segmented into 44,444 artists, 8,384 service providers, 4,098 events/venues, 4,548 organizations, 3,339 archives/media entities, and 3,118 music education institutions across 18 African countries. The platform combines this directory with an editorial magazine, a gig guide for event discovery, an embedded music player integrating SoundCloud and Deezer, a knowledge hub with educational content, and the annual ACCES (Music In Africa Conference for Collaboration, Exchange & Showcases) trade event held in rotating African locations.

The underlying technology is a conventional web-based CMS platform with Facebook and Google OAuth authentication, no public API, and no mobile apps. Notable product features include structured searchable categories across the music value chain (bands, DJs, producers, recording studios, labels, distributors, managers, legal experts, venues, schools), a continuously updated magazine section, and community profile creation tools. The platform does not disclose proprietary technology beyond the scale of its curated database.

The business model is that of a nonprofit rather than a venture-backed company: institutional grants from Siemens Stiftung and Goethe-Institut form the primary funding base, supplemented by individual membership subscriptions, sponsored profile placements and advertising, and ACCES conference ticket and sponsorship revenue. Distribution is fully self-serve online plus the annual in-person conference. The platform has 11-50 employees and is ISPA code-of-conduct compliant in South Africa.

Name

Music In Africa

Legal name

Music In Africa Foundation

Website

https://musicinafrica.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Music In Africa is a Johannesburg-based nonprofit that operates Africa's largest online directory of 59,375 music professionals, alongside an editorial magazine, gig guide, embedded music streaming, and the annual ACCES pan-African music trade conference, serving artists, service providers, educators, and venues across 18 African countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

African Music Industry Directory & Resource Platform

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Discovery & Curation Platforms (Recommendations, Playlists) (MPAIACAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Music & Audio Streaming Platforms (BPAMAJAC)

Keywords

• African music directory
• Music industry networking
• Music event listings
• African music platform
• Music education resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Platform offers membership options for artists and music professionals to create and manage profiles
2. Advertising: Sponsored profile placements and advertising opportunities on the platform
3. Conference Events: Revenue from ACCES music conference including tickets and sponsorships

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Music In Africa operates a free online directory and content platform that connects over 59,000 African musicians and music industry professionals. The platform combines a searchable professional directory, an editorial music magazine, a gig guide for events, an embedded music player with SoundCloud and Deezer streaming, a knowledge hub with educational content, and the annual ACCES music trade conference. It is offered as a free-to-use resource sustained by institutional grants, sponsorships, advertising, and conference revenue.

Product overview

Music In Africa is a unified digital platform that combines multiple services for the African music industry: an extensive directory of 59,375 artists and music professionals (including service providers, venues, and educational institutions), an editorial magazine with news/reviews/features, a gig guide for events discovery, integrated music playback via SoundCloud and Deezer, a knowledge hub with educational content and instrument lessons, and the annual ACCES music conference for industry networking and showcases. The platform serves as a comprehensive resource connecting African musicians with industry opportunities, information, and each other.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artists & Industry Directory A comprehensive searchable directory of 59,375 African artists and music industry professionals including bands, DJs, producers, composers, recording studios, record labels, publishers, managers, venues, and educational institutions. Free for users to create and browse profiles across the African music ecosystem.
• Music In Africa Magazine An editorial platform featuring news articles, music reviews, in-depth features, and thematic coverage of African music industry events and trends. Includes dedicated sections for News, Reviews, Features, and Themes.
• Gig Guide An events listing service showcasing concerts, festivals, and live music performances across Africa with venue details and ticketing options. Users can submit events through their registered profile.
• Music Player

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Goethe-InstitutcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Goethe-Institut is a cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany that supports Music In Africa. They promote knowledge of German language abroad and foster international cultural cooperation, including support for African music scenes.
• Siemens StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSiemens Stiftung supports Music In Africa as part of their cultural and social development programs in Africa.
• ISPAminorOthersMusic In Africa is compliant with the ISPA (International Songwriters, Publishers, and Artists) code of conduct.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bandsintown: A concert-discovery platform serving artists and fans with event listings and recommendations, comparable in providing a centralized gig-discovery layer for musicians.
• Music Ally: A music-industry news, insight, and analysis platform, comparable in its editorial coverage of the music business and its role as an information resource for music professionals.
• Resident Advisor: A global electronic-music events directory and community platform, structurally analogous in combining a professional directory, gig listings, and editorial coverage with community-driven content.
• Songkick: A live-music discovery and ticketing platform with a global gig directory, directly comparable to Music In Africa's Gig Guide feature and artist-to-event linkage.
• OkayAfrica: A digital media and music platform dedicated to African music and culture, with editorial content, artist discovery, and event programming — directly comparable in mission, audience, and content model.
• The FADER: A music and culture magazine covering artist profiles, reviews, and features, comparable to Music In Africa's editorial magazine and artist discovery content layer.
• Boomplay: Africa's largest music streaming service, with artist pages, charts, and discovery features; competes directly with Music In Africa's directory and music player functionality for artist mindshare.
• Boiler Room: A global music platform combining artist showcases, event programming, and editorial coverage, comparable as a community-driven discovery and live-music content platform.
• Audiomack: A music streaming and discovery platform with strong penetration across African and emerging markets, comparable in artist profile and discovery functionality targeted at African listeners.

Broad incumbents

• Spotify: A global music streaming and discovery platform whose artist profile and playlist features overlap with Music In Africa's directory and discovery functionality, albeit as a much broader general-purpose incumbent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/musicinafrica
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYequigiaHk4tSqGQYoAagg
• Facebookfacebook.com/MusicInAfrica
• Instagraminstagram.com/musicinafricaofficial/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/music-in-africa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Music In Africa