Every day, money changes hands in Ghanaian cedi, South African rand and Brazilian reals as music is created, traded, performed, purchased and pirated. In this episode we look at the business side of African music, through a series of vignettes from around the continent and diaspora that illuminate the deep connections between musical creation and the economies that sustain it. First, we tell the story of how cellphones are radically transforming Africa’s music industries. Then, we look at how business competition between street dance DJs birthed a sound system culture in Colombia. We look at African songs that made millions… for U.S. record companies. And, we take a trip to Jamaica to see what happens when artists decide to share.
Producer: Marlon Bishop
Assistant Producers: Briana Duggan, Joe Dobkin, Ryan Kailath
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