Angolan Streaming App Opens New Income Stream for Performers

• Local entrepreneur and innovator Claudio Kiala saw a gap in the virtual entertainment market when the  Angolan government imposed a lockdown in late March and so he created the Soba streaming app.
• Soba, Angola’s first virtual streaming app, allows artists charge for their shows streaming on the platform. Depending on the performer, fans are happy to pay between $2-$6 per hour to see their favourite artists.
• The Performers retain 90% of the cost of tickets, a business approach Kiala says is noble but necessary.

Local entrepreneur and innovator Claudio Kiala, launched the soba app, as a result of the percieved gap in the virtual entertainment market when the  Angolan government imposed a lockdown in late March

Before the crisis struck, Kiala and his team had built a performance platform known as the Soba Channel App, where artists could stream live shows and fans would pay for access.

The lockdown meant that they needed to accelerate its launch to help artists generate some revenue during the lockdown and give audiences a chance to be entertained in the comfort of their homes.

Soba is Angola’s first virtual entertainment platform, which lets artists charge for their shows. In the region, social gatherings are still prohibited.

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“This pandemic situation led us to accelerate a few of the ideas that we already had and we decided to create the platform where artists could still host concerts and other types of gathering with their fans and be paid for that,” Kiala said.

Popular local DJ Ritchelly was among the first to hop on the site after the lockdown reduced his income to nothing.

“This virus has brought us a new environment and ways to live. And this is a survival way for artists that want to keep doing their job,” Ritchelly said, as he prepared for his virtual live performance via the app.

Depending on the performer, fans are happy to pay between $2-$6 per hour to see their favourite artists.

“It gives me a better experience because I’m alone. I don’t have to listen to the other people screaming (like at outdoor live shows). I just have to sit there and watch,” said 17-year old Ekumbi Dias.

Performers retain 90% of the cost of tickets, a business approach Kiala says is noble but necessary.