Interview: @charlotte_bwana, Head of Brand And Media Partnerships At @audiomackafrica Shares Best Practices When Using The Platform

Can you introduce yourself and the role you play at Audiomack?

My name is Charlotte Bwana and I am the Head of Brand and Media Partnerships of Audiomack Africa.

What are some of the key differences between the free and basic versions of Audiomack?

We have two tiers at Audiomack namely, the ad-based tier and the premium.  The premium tier doesn't have any ads, you have unlimited downloads and lyrics available for songs. 

Can you tell us a bit about Audiomack World?

The listener of today wants to be able to connect with music on a personal level so we created Audiomack World which is a digital magazine that we created for artists, producers and music executives to share their stories. Listeners can read the story behind a song or album while they listen to it. 

Audiomack offers a lot of great content like Swahili Radio. Can we expect to see something like that but for the South African audience?

Swahili Radio is our first baby and we are extremely proud of it. Season 2 of Swahili is on its way. I can't share too much about what we have planned for South Africa, but we definitely have something that South African artists will be excited about. 

Playlisting is a huge part of the streaming world. What are some of the catalogue playlists that Audiomack offers and can artists submit their music for playlist consideration?

Playlisting is a big part of what we do at Audiomack. We have a verified series, which includes verified Pop, Rock, Hip Hop, Afribeats and R&B. We also have a playlist called Hometown Heroes which is the most popular series we have on the app. We have Hometown Heroes for a variety of regions like Ghana, London, Nigeria and New York. Artists can submit for playlisting by mailing playlisting@audiomack.com or they can request playlisting on the backend and the playlist team will consider your submission. 

What are some of the best practices that artists should follow in order to promote themselves on Audiomack?

I think it's important that every artist makes use of our creator dashboard.  From there you can request playlisting, request verification and request to be considered for our trending feature. Artists should also reply to comments from listeners as this is a great opportunity to engage and connect with your audience. 

Audiomack has always been known as a brand for artists. What are some of the tools that Audiomack provides artists with to empower themselves?

The creator dashboard is a powerful tool that artists can use to empower themselves. The dashboard provides insights about user demographics like age and gender as well as data on where your song is performing well. Artists can use that data to create music that relates to their audience in a way that helps them grow. 

Can creators monetise their work on Audiomack?

Yes, creators can monetise their work on Audiomack as we recently opened our monetisation platform and we're the first platform to offer direct payouts to artists without involving any third parties. In order to qualify for monetisation, an artist needs to have a minimum of 2 songs on the platform and 1 thousand plays in total.  

How does Audiomack plan to increase its footprint in South Africa?

That's an interesting question seeing as we have been in the country for a long time. I can't answer that question directly but I can tell you that we have partnered with YFM and sponsored a show, we have partnered with another radio station (which we can't name) and they have guaranteed airplay to up and coming artists and we are also buying studio equipment for the winners of Sportscene's 'Put Me On' competition. Our partnerships are aimed at tapping into the culture of South African music and supporting its growth in any way we can because we are in it for the long haul.  

How did you get your start in the music industry?

I've always loved music but my introduction to the music industry came via my role at Coke Studio where I was the digital content manager. It was incredible to work with a brand as big as Coke and I really enjoyed bringing a concept like Coke Studios to life. I got work with artists from across the continent and I got to find out how the entertainment industry works in different African countries. 

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I think my favourite part of my job would be interacting with different people from different countries and cultures. I love the space that Africa is in right now because the world is listening to us and I get to be part of a collective that is telling Africa's story through music.

What is the most challenging part of your job?

The most challenging part of my job is being able to meet the needs of different stakeholders because each country has its unique challenges. It's kind of a double-edged song. 

In conclusion, what is the one piece of advice you wished you received at the beginning of your career?

Never settle. Sometimes people get comfortable in a situation and project what they want onto you and I had to learn to always go after I wanted. Always chase your dream no matter how big it is.