Online Reporter
Mbulelo Mpofu
Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub
THE music industry has undergone significant changes with the rise of digital music platforms.
This ensures artists and music composers can today earn royalties through two primary channels — digital streaming services and traditional radio airplay.
The Zimbabwe Music Rights Association (ZIMURA) has stepped up to the plate to ensure those involved in the music business in Zimbabwe benefit from their work, having started distributing royalties from digital platforms.
Speaking to Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub, a ZIMURA Bulawayo representative, Clarence Garura, said more than US$27,000 has been distributed.
“We started distributing over US$27,000 worth of royalties on 28 April 2025 from digital platforms that include, but not limited to Apple, Boomplay, CONCOM, Deezer, DMX, Facebook, Google, Huawei Music Plus, Instore Radio Proxy, LyricFind, Simfy, Spotify, Tidal, TikTok, YouTube etc. The highest got about $3,200.
“ZIMURA has created a central platform where we upload works on behalf of members who face challenges doing it themselves, at no cost. We also collect digital royalties for all members, including those who upload their music independently.” He said next month ZIMURA will distribute broadcasting and general royalties and explained how one qualifies for royalties.
“Music usage/exploitation is the contributing factor. It’s not even about how many albums one has or how many years one has been in the industry.
“One has to have music that is enjoying airplay. Unlike back in the day, now we have state-of-the-art equipment to monitor airplay from all our radio stations,” he added.
Digital streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music have become essential platforms for artists. Royalties are earned based on the number of streams, with rates varying per platform.
Digital service providers use models like the pro-rata system to allocate royalties based on an artist’s share of total streams. However, factors like platform payout rates, regional variations, and premium vs free-tier users can affect earnings. For local artists, earning royalties from these digital platforms has not been relevant as they serve as an add-on to the royalties collected from the traditional route —the radio airplay. Radio airplay remains a vital source of income for artists.
Royalties are calculated based on the number of plays, station revenue and the type of licence.
