A new chapter for Uganda’s creative industry was opened today at Next Media as UgaTunes, a homegrown music streaming and distribution platform, officially launched its partnership with Afro Mobile, Next Media’s flagship super app.
The collaboration is expected to revolutionise how Ugandan and regional artists earn, protect, and control their music in the digital era.
UgaTunes was first conceptualised in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. With artists unable to perform—their primary source of income before lockdowns—the government, under the guidance of Gen.
Sally Musale, tasked a team to design a solution to help creatives survive beyond live shows. That idea eventually evolved into UgaTunes.
“The vision was to create a bankable creative economy where an artist doesn’t just perform, but also has reliable income and data they can even borrow money against,” explained Shadrack Shagaf Kisame, team lead at UgaTunes.
“If an artist earns $7,000 or even $2,000 monthly through UgaTunes, they should be able to walk into a financial institution and get a loan with UgaTunes data as collateral.”
Recognising Next Media’s position as one of East Africa’s leading broadcasters and the growing success of its Afro Mobile app, UgaTunes saw an opportunity for wider reach.
The integration means Ugandan music will now be accessible to millions of Afro Mobile users, amplifying artists’ visibility and boosting potential earnings.
“Through Afro Mobile, UgaTunes can deliver Ugandan music to a larger audience while ensuring artists are paid fairly per stream,” Kisame said.
How UgaTunes Works
- Distribution: Artists upload music, which UgaTunes distributes to over 150 global platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Boomplay, and Audiomack.
- Revenue Collection: The platform consolidates earnings and pays artists directly in Ugandan shillings, avoiding PayPal or international paywalls. Artists can withdraw via mobile money or access funds instantly through Next Media’s Creator Hub.
- Artist-Friendly Model: Artists retain 85% of streaming revenue, with UgaTunes keeping 15%. Each stream pays Shs10, providing transparency and competitiveness.
- Copyright Protection: Advanced audio recognition technology helps safeguard artists’ work by detecting ownership and preventing unauthorised monetisation.
- Analytics: Musicians can track earnings across all platforms, including TikTok, ensuring full transparency.
So far, 350 artists have registered for distribution, and more than 1,000 are already streaming on Afro Mobile.
While initially created for Ugandan musicians, UgaTunes has expanded regionally, with sign-ups from South Sudan and growing interest from Rwanda and Ethiopia.
Taking Back Ownership
A central mission of UgaTunes is to return ownership of music to Ugandan artists. According to Kisame, more than 80% of local musicians currently do not own the rights to their songs.
By offering a transparent and fair model, the platform seeks to ensure that creators, not middlemen, remain the main beneficiaries of their work.
“This is about taking back Ugandan music and giving it to its rightful owners, the artists,” Kisame stressed.
With its official unveiling at Next Media, UgaTunes has signalled a new dawn for East Africa’s creative economy—one where artists are empowered, protected, and fairly rewarded for their craft.