As Tanzania’s music industry continues its rapid digital transformation, much of the real work shaping the ecosystem happens behind the scenes. One of the professionals at the center of that shift is Japhet Kapinga — a music business executive, intellectual property specialist, and content licensing professional whose work has helped expand the presence of Tanzanian music on major streaming platforms.
With more than eight years of experience in Africa’s digital music space, Kapinga has worked closely with artists, record labels, aggregators, and rights holders to structure licensing deals and strengthen distribution pipelines. In this exclusive interview, he reflects on the early challenges of introducing digital distribution to the market, the ongoing fight against piracy, and his long-term ambition to help shape the future of digital music across Tanzania and the continent.
Q&A With Japhet Kapinga
1. To begin, please introduce yourself to our readers. Who are you, and how did your music journey begin?
Japhet Kapinga is a Tanzanian music business executive, intellectual property specialist, and content licensing professional with extensive experience in Africa’s digital music ecosystem. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Development Finance & Investment Planning and a Master’s degree in Intellectual Property, combining strong legal, financial, and commercial expertise within the creative industry.
I joined Boomplay 8 years ago back in 2017 as a Content Acquisition manager that’s where my music journey started, Over eight years of experience in the music and digital content sector, i have worked closely with artists, record labels, aggregators, and rights holders to secure music licensing deals, develop strategic partnerships, and expand music catalog in Boomplay app (Especially Tanzania music) where we had very few Tanzania artists content in Boomplay during that period.
2. How has your education or background contributed to your current role?
To start with, I love and enjoy music in general. In my previous work experience, I worked in the Business Development and Expansion department. I joined Boomplay at its conception stage where my previous experience played a big part in my work ethic and drive to make sure Boomplay grows.
3. For someone unfamiliar, what exactly does a music executive do?
Music executives are professionals who manage the business side of the music industry. While artists create music, the music executives ensure the music is produced, distributed, marketed, legally protected, and properly monetized. They work in record labels, streaming companies, publishing companies, artist management firms, and entertainment businesses such as Boomplay, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner, Spotify, Apple Music, Orchard etc.
4. What major challenges did you face in the early stages of your career?
i) Lack of understanding – this mainly came from the main stakeholders (ie artists, record labels, managers etc) when it came to the general digital music business. The whole concept was still new and it took a lot of effort and training sessions for them to accept the new mode of music distribution to get to where we are today.
ii) Piracy - the issue still persists however I believe that we have made music accessible to the African and Tanzanian market. Over the years, fans have understood that streaming supports their favourite artists in many ways and not just fame.
iii) Legal setbacks - similar to the lack of understanding issue, there was also the issue of knowledge when it came to copyright and intellectual property. There were a couple of legal threats here and there however, more education and training solved this.
5. What achievements are you most proud of so far?
I am very proud to see how far the African specifically the Tanzanian music industry has grown especially in the digital space. For the most part, fans have fully embraced the streaming mode of music consumption; artists, record labels and local distributors have also embraced the digital way of distributing and promoting their music. Looking back 8 years ago and now, we have made huge steps into ensuring the business grows and is profitable, especially for the creatives.
I am also proud that I was part of the team that pioneered the Artist Forum founded in 2018 with Boomplay. This has greatly contributed in increasing the deeper understanding of the digital music business.
6. How do you view the impact of technology and social media on music today?
In my view, the COVID-19 era in 2020 was a turning point when it came to technology, social media and music. We experienced numerous creative ways to push music and their messages across, which is something we still see till now. This change has helped the growth of the music industry in numerous ways e.g, artists reaching many more fans across the globe, highlighting new talents and fans can easily access and interact with artists or a project that they love.
7. What differentiates an average artist from a superstar?
This question falls outside my core area of expertise, as my role focuses more on the business and digital content management side of the music industry. However, from a general industry perspective, an artist’s success is often influenced by the right business strategy, strong brand management, and clear market understanding.
8. Where do you see the Tanzanian music industry heading right now?
Looking at the timeline, the industry has definitely grown over the years especially in the digital music business sector. We can definitely improve in completely eradicating piracy to support all parties especially the creative minds (ie artists, producers, writers etc); so we are definitely going to get bigger and better.
9. What are your personal goals for the coming years?
I would like to utilise my educational background and work experience to grow into a top strategic leader shaping the future of digital music in the Tanzanian market and Africa in general.
10. Finally, what advice would you give to young people who want to enter the music business?
My main advice to future music executives will be research, research, research! Before even jumping into the industry, get familiar with it in terms of the business side of things, marketing, copyright, distribution, A&R and more.
The Bottom Line
Kapinga’s journey reflects a broader truth about Africa’s music boom: sustainable growth depends not only on star power, but also on the often-unseen architects building the business infrastructure behind it. As streaming adoption deepens and rights management becomes more sophisticated across the continent, executives with hybrid expertise in law, finance, and digital distribution are likely to play an increasingly decisive role.
For Tanzania’s fast-evolving music economy, professionals like Japhet Kapinga are helping ensure that creativity is not only heard — but properly valued and monetized