Oskido launches platform to help artists own their masters

Music veteran Oskido is on a mission to help young artists retain their power in the music industry.

The star recently took to Instagram to recount his struggles with music ownership, saying he had to approach major music labels to distribute his music.

“Our first release, we had released this super big record, It's About Time — Boom Shaka, and we wanted to sign with the major labels. So we went to them and said 'hey, you know this is a big record', and they said it wasn't going to work.

“From there we didn't know what to do, where to press cassettes ourselves. We started distributing from the boots of our cars and the music became huge all over the country."

He said people around the world wanted copies of the song but they could not meet demand or send it outside the country.

The record labels came calling again, this time trying to sign him as an artist. They refused, instead signing a press and distribution deal with EMI.

He said creatives no longer have to jump through the same hoops, and possibly sell their souls and music in the process, and punted his distribution company Khwale. The company is an African-based, global-facing DIY music distributor that promises artists will keep “100% royalties, no middleman and 100% ownership of masters”.

"It is founded by myself, but I brought in other like-minded investors of diverse skills to create this platform. 

"Having been in the music industry for almost three decades, I realised young people are faced with similar music distribution issues I faced many years ago. But with so much technology today, we shouldn't have these problems. So I'm trying to provide a solution to artists. With this platform, the fate of their careers is totally in their hands," Oskido told TshisaLIVE.

It costs R299 or $17.79 per year for unlimited releases and will be distributed to 150 services worldwide, including YouTube, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Boomplay, Audiomack, Tidal, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

"Without a doubt this is going to change the landscape of our business because it is empowering artists directly. Distribution is a big part of revenue income in the music business. Every cent made will go directly to the artists' pockets. We make sure they keep 100% of their royalty and 100% of their masters without any middleman," Oskido said.

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