Paper short abstract:

Songs recorded by artists from different countries are very particular to popular music in East Africa. Interviews with Kenyan artists reveal that these transnational collaborations are strategies to open up markets in an environment where musicians are rather performers than recording artists.

Paper long abstract:

Tanzanian rapper Professor Jay recorded a song called Ndivyo Sivyo with Ugandan raggaman Jose Chameleone, Kenyan rapper Nonini did the song Nani Mwenza with Tanzanian Juma Nature, and two Kenyans (Wyre, Nazizi) collaborate with an Ugandan (Bebe Cool) to record songs under the name East African Bashment Crew. These examples point to something very particular to the popular music scene in East Africa - transnational collaborations - and could easily be multiplied. Cross-border exchanges are not a new phenomenon. Previously, they were mainly motivated by political violence and differences in the recording infrastructure. Interviews with Kenyan musicians clearly revealed one major motivation for contemporary transnational collaborations: they are perceived as a strategy to "open up markets". Artists don't target record selling markets, however. Due to rampant piracy and limited purchasing power, most musicians don't make much money from record sales; although ringtone downloads have recently become more important as a source of income. More central to the economic survival of artists are the fees for performances. Concerts are organized by private promoters or, to a lesser extent, by political actors or European cultural institutions among other actors. Private companies (especially breweries and mobile phone operators) are important sponsors for concerts. Transnational collaborations raise the chances to get solicited for concerts. In an environment where musicians are rather performers than recording artists, transnational collaborations are thus strategies by 'cultural entrepreneurs' to access other performance markets. This explanation is astonishingly similar to the arguments put forward in theories explaining top-down regional economic integration.