Review: Josplay, Where African Music Lives

Vanessa Obioha

For a continent of 54 countries, reducing its music to just a handful of genres hardly does it justice. This is often the experience on many global streaming platforms, where African music is largely represented by sounds from West Africa or South Africa. What, then, of the musical traditions of Lusophone Africa and the many other genres that rarely make global playlists? Africa’s sonic landscape surely goes beyond afrobeats, amapiano and house music.

Enter Josplay, an Afrocentric audio entertainment platform that delivers music, news, stories and audiobooks to listeners around the world. Since its launch in 2019, the platform has been intentional about creating a distinctly African listening experience, from its intuitive interface to AI-powered recommendations that adapt to each user’s preferences.

After signing up, users are introduced to a feature called Frames, which curates music around daily rhythms and moods. First-time users are presented with 10 Frames and asked to choose six, with the flexibility to customise their selections later. The feature tailors recommendations to different moments of the day. Select the Flow Frame, for instance, and the app curates music designed to aid concentration. Choose Unwind, and it shifts to mellow grooves suited to winding down after a busy day.

The app then invites users to select their preferred genres, and this is where Josplay truly distinguishes itself. Its catalogue reflects an impressive breadth of African music that goes beyond the genres that dominate international playlists. That diversity has only expanded through a partnership with Sony Music Entertainment, bringing a significant portion of the company’s catalogue to Josplay listeners worldwide, including recordings distributed through The Orchard and the complete catalogues of Lusafrica and Africa Nostra, comprising more than 4,000 songs.

Here, listeners will discover music they never knew existed, or knew existed but never knew what genre it belonged to. There is Tishoumaren, also known as Assouf or Desert Blues, a style that originated among the Tuareg people of the Sahara. Blending traditional Tuareg music with blues and rock influences, it creates a haunting yet captivating sound.

If Desert Blues is not quite your style, there is Sungura, the energetic Zimbabwean genre that fuses traditional Zimbabwean music with Congolese rumba, pop and rock. Driven by lively guitars, basslines and infectious percussion, it is almost impossible to sit still while listening. A good introduction is Eriki’s ‘Lost and Found.’

Those looking for smoother, romantic rhythms will appreciate Kizomba, the Angolan genre that combines traditional Angolan rhythms with Caribbean zouk and French-Caribbean compas to produce music that is both intimate and danceable.

Perhaps what is most exciting is how it celebrates a country’s musical diversity. For instance, rather than reducing Nigerian music to afrobeats and highlife, the platform also showcases Ogene, Apala, Juju, Fuji and Afrobeat, giving listeners a fuller appreciation of the country’s musical heritage.

Josplay’s homepage invites listeners into a world of culture and entertainment. Through Africa News Brief, users can catch up on news from across the continent, while Stories and Reads brings African history, folklore and personalities to life. Curious about the legendary Nigerian traditionalist Chief Pericoma Okoye? There is ‘Pericoma and the Tax Collectors.’ Prefer folklore? Then ‘How the Tortoise Got His Cracked Shell’ offers a nostalgic return to one of Africa’s storytelling traditions.

The platform also features a growing selection of podcasts, further broadening its appeal.

Josplay appears to be on track to becoming one of Africa’s most compelling music platforms. One question, however, is sustainability. Unlike most streaming services, its free tier currently carries no advertising, relying instead on limits to the number of songs users can stream each day. Whether that model proves financially sustainable remains to be seen. The company in 2021 diversified its revenue through Josplay Enterprise, which curates enterprise-grade playlists tailored to businesses and organisations, while also ensuring that creators are compensated for the use of their work.

Josplay celebrates Africa’s extraordinary musical diversity while reminding listeners that the continent’s sounds deserve far more than a corner of the world’s playlists. Whether its business model can sustain that ambition remains to be seen, but its vision is one worth paying attention to.