African music industry faces growing threats from digital piracy

The African music industry is experiencing significant global recognition through genres such as Amapiano and Afrobeats, yet it faces ongoing threats from digital piracy. While the MP3 format initially facilitated easy illegal sharing, piracy has evolved to include illegal streaming platforms, unlicensed applications, and artificial intelligence systems trained on copyrighted music without creator consent.

Chola Makgamathe, Chairperson of the Copyright Coalition of South Africa, stated that piracy does more than reduce profits, noting that it ‘erodes the creative backbone of the industry.’ Protecting intellectual property is increasingly viewed as essential to sustaining the economic growth and momentum of African artists on the global stage.