By Prince Osuagwu

Budding music stars in Nigeria and indeed Africa who have been burdened by terrible demands of music producers and rejection from Artiste managers, now have a respite, as a Google Alumunus, Melissa Kariuki alongside Kelvin Kyendwa have used technology to solve their problems.

The solution lies in Whip, a music services marketplace dedicated to empowering underserved and budding musicians from Africa.

Whip makes the Artiste his own boss and puts the fate of his talent in his own hands. The platform has a mission to empower the next generation of African musicians to achieve their highest potential through access to affordable services that drive growth of music careers.

The startup was recently admitted into the inaugural class of the Google for Startups accelerator Africa: Women founders’ programme, underscoring the potential strategic role Whip could play in driving the growth of the music industry in Africa.

Through its digital marketplace, music artists across Africa can access an array of services they need to grow, from song writing to production to promotion.

Specifically, services available on Whip include play listing, blog features, distribution, video production, DJ set features, radio play, TV play, social media promotions.

With increased proliferation of music due to digital production and streaming in recent times, it is becoming increasingly harder for artists to standout and be heard, and therefore, require the best music marketing services to stand out strategically in the industry. The Whip Services Marketplace comes in handy for budding artists as they can now access a wide array of music services from a range of providers to strategically grow their music.

According to Kariuki, “There’s often a great underestimation of how much artists need to invest in marketing their music. Stories like those of artists being signed after going viral on TikTok make it seem like becoming successful is effortless and serendipitous. However, those are exceptions.

“A recent report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry shows that it costs record labels about $500K to $2M to break a new artist. While most artists cannot match that, it is important for them to invest what they can. Whip Services exist to make it easier for them to find affordable options that meet their budget, which they can trust”.