News: NewWave (@newwavemw) makes ends meet with new Music Distribution and Publishing License
Music distribution and publishing company, Newwave makes a reason for celebration with new music distribution and publishing license.
Originally founded in 2020 as a playlist curation platform by Nthangwanika Kondowe, Yankho Likongwe, Christina Kamwendo, and Caleb Thulambo the members said that the team had since been getting a lot of recommendations on how to commercialize it, and while moving forward from their successful venture to find new other innovative ways of growing the brand and uplifting the culture.
"With most suggestions centered on a "record label" or uploading music to streaming platforms on behalf of the artist. A record label was entirely out of the question, I knew I didn't have the resources for that and uploading music to DSPs is something I teach artists to do on their own, it feels more like a social responsibility and not my life's work.
So we simply continued making playlists; we've curated over a 100 playlists with 1000+ songs, and we've seen the impact this has had on Malawi's streaming culture; the contributions we've made are timeless, no one can take that away from us," said Nthangwanika.
She went on to add: "Early last year, my team and I went knocking on COSOMA's door hoping to register a music distribution and publishing company. You can imagine the hassle, there's no working example within our industry for this. We place a lot of pressure on our artists, but it's not totally up to them to shape and structure a whole industry. There are a lot of gaps that need filling, honestly, it's not up to them to fill all those gaps.
After going back and forth with COSOMA to figure out what this looks like on paper, Newwave is now a fully registered and licensed music distribution and publishing company. The vision is to expand the capacity of already existing Malawian spaces (tv, radio, film, advertising, and public places) to include more Malawian music through us.
By curating, publishing, and distributing it more intentionally, this not only benefits the performing artist, but also the songwriters, producers, and engineers who helped create the music.
I hope that in my lifetime we can engage the radio community to reform and to forge stronger ties between the Malawian film and music industry."
As a way of expanding it is a way of reaching the masses and in an effort to increase global access to Malawian music, not just a local endeavor, Nthangwanika said.
With a strong standing foundation behind it, Newwave's team is made up of different individual creatives each playing a role in helping to drive the company forward, which includes; Yankho Likongwe (Partner & Chief Executive Officer), Nthangwanika Kondowe (Partner & Chief Operating Officer), Pemphero Daniel Mgawi (Partner & Chief Technology Officer), Lovemore Chanza (Social Media Manager), Henry Kanjo (Graphic Design Intern), Roy Kafoteka (Creative Copywriter), and Mercy Diniwa (Public Relations Manager). Teddy’s MAKADI is the first project to be distributed by Newwave but the team looks forward to announcing more artists and projects that will fall under the company.
Since its foundation, Newwave has increased access to digital methods of distribution to over 100 Malawian artists and has connected even more listeners to Malawian music. Finding the root cause of limited music distribution in Malawi, Newwave has looked into finding a solution by developing a nationwide distribution network including radio, TV, and digital streaming platforms, and continuing to increase global pathways.
Creating a world where musical records are well distributed and easily accessible to listeners locally and globally has always been the core company's goal. - Malawi To The World