When it comes to accessing music online, South Africans have become accustomed to being sidelined and largely ignored. Up until late last year, for example, South Africans wanting to access that most sacred of online music stores – iTunes – had to lie about their location. And when innovative internet radio and online music streaming services such as Pandora and Spotify were causing a sensation in Europe and the US, these services were largely inaccessible to those of us down south. This is starting to change (and rather rapidly) as technology companies, handset manufacturers, streaming services and local entrepreneurs begin to recognise the importance of both the South African and African consumer. For example, Nokia made its local entry into streaming with Nokia Music+ and joins a host of new platforms such as Simfy Africa, Deezer and Samsung’s Kleek. Even Microsoft is planning on entering the fray with Xbox Music, although the launch date of this service in SA remains unknown.

While these players are clearly recognising an opportunity, there are a number of challenges unique to the local market that they’ll have to overcome. To begin with, South Africans generally still prefer to download and own music rather than paying a monthly fee for an ‘all you can eat’ streaming experience.