Starting on Thursday 12th May, 2016, 90 percent of music played on all 18 of the South African Broadcasting Cooperation’s (SABC) radio stations will be South African.
The directive stated that all music genres – with a focus on kwaito, jazz, reggae, and gospel – will be played. The SABC will also play more music from “legends in the industry” and up-and-coming artists.
Award-winning hip-hop Artist Cassper Nyovest has welcomed this move to promote local music but says South Africa is playing catch-up. In a recent interview (watch here) the rapper observed –
When you travel to countries like Nigeria as soon as you get into the country until you leave all you hear is Nigerian music,” the rapper said in a TV interview on Wednesday night. And a little bit of Justin Bieber. It’s such a beautiful thing that we are starting to practise such patriotism at home.
The move was also greeted by Cassper’s arch-rival AKA, who discussed what it could do to record sales.
South Africa joins countries such as Zimbabwe that have enacted similar quotas on local music content on the radio.