Make money from Music and digital assets in Kenya

 

 We live in a world where many people are consuming digital products. Gone are the days when people depended on cassettes or compact disks in order to listen to music. these days, as long as you have a smartphone, you can stream music online or play the music that is stored on your device. Sharing music has also become easier. With a Bluetooth enabled phone, one can send a song to his friend's device without breaking a sweat. 

 The problem that this has created is that many people do not need to purchase Music. this has affected the revenue of both musicians and record labels. In the past, if someone is able to sell 100,000 copies of his cassette/ CD, they would be able to make a comfortable living off music. So, what is a solution to this problem?

Create vending Machines for Music.

 There are many movie shops spread across the country. In the past, they used to sell local music(that stopped due to a relentless police crackdown).  Now they basically sell foreign-made films. Now, what they do is simple. someone gives them a flash disk( on in some cases their smartphone), and they copy a movie into their device. This process is so simple that it can be automated. 

  A company can create a vending machine that has a port(s) that someone can insert a flash disk, memory card or connect their phone. Once they purchase a song/album, it can then be copied to their device and they can go and enjoy the product. The purchase record is then sent to a central data processing centre where the artist can be notified of the purchase. 

  Each song/album can also be imprinted with some digital information that will identify the person who bought it. This will help investigators in case of someone posts online one of the artists content illegally. 

  what are some of the other uses of the vending machines?

Selling movies and music videos

  Kenyans enjoy watching movies a lot. The same vending machine can also be used to sell locally made movies. 

Selling books, Newspapers and comics

  Many people read for pleasure, while others read books that can teach them a skill e.g Cooking. Others read for educational purposes while others read books that give them relationship advice. Some people like reading successful peoples life stories while others like reading fictional stories. 

Selling Digital art

  In today's world, there is a craze going on about NFTs. So, there may be a market for digital artists. They can make their art and feed it into the vending machines for others to buy. 

QUESTION: Why not just do it completely online?

there are several problems with an online platform for downloads:-

1`.  Online payments are stressful. 

  As a country, we haven't reached the point where everyone is comfortable doing online transactions. Many fear being conned while others do not have a safe operating system(a browser that has a bank mode or antivirus that can prevent phishing) to safely do online transactions. So, it may be difficult to convince many to buy digital items online.

2.   Data is expensive

  One of the reasons why movie shops are popular is because people do not incur data charges. This makes them channel all their cash on purchasing the movies. 

3.   Downloads can get corrupted

  Have you ever downloaded a file and after you have finished, you try to open it and it gives you an error message? It is painful. Sometimes what can happen is that your data runs out before you complete downloading a file. The file then becomes unusable. This is why online systems are not yet perfect for Kenya. 

4.   Physical things are easier to advertise than online things

  It's harder( but possible) to advertise products online. Physical stores, especially those strategically located, have a very high success rate. So, if vending machines are placed in strategic places, they may bring in more sales than an online store. 

Conclusion

There is a lot of opportunities in the digital marketplace. Artists can make a good living from their work if it is distributed in the right format. Of course, eventually, all digital content will be consumed online. But before that eventuality, this is the right time to sell digital products from a physical location. 

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