SA & India

Was watching CNN/BBC/Sky the other night about the Indian election. They said that the best way to reach the 700 MILLION Indian voters Barack Obama-style was through the cell phone, since like SA, India has very low market penetration with the Internet (only about 7%).

The lesson for music in developing world countries? The cell phone is king over the Net, any day of the week, and twice on Sundays. The cell phone may well be the CD player and the radio of the next 10 years.

Mobile Music

So a recent article by Nicola Mawson in the Business Day (http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/national.aspx?ID=BD4A969800) suggests that South Africa has not yet been fully hit by the digital revolution because only 10% of the market has access to the Internet (and not too many have high-speed connections). The same article says that cell phone penetration of the market stands at 70-75%, which is massive, and therefore the digital revolution is still on its way, so watch out...

Speakers at Moshito last year said the same: it's just a matter of time... Is this the same across the whole of the developing world? SA tends to be more cell-savvy like Asia. The answer is complex: both digital and CD will enjoy continued sales. Astute musos need to make sure they always have both available. Let your customers decide what they want.

The big question is: will the Chinese equivalent of Britney one day top the charts in her own country, or maybe even the United States? Bring on the Bollywood...

The G20

It was very interesting to see how the leaders of the G20 met in London yesterday and today. All the news bulletins collectively spoke about the rise and rise of emerging market economies, and how they represent the future of the world from a social and economic perspective. The US will continue to dominate economically, but its role is diminishing.

Among the emerging market economies represented in the G20 are Brazil, Russia, India, China (BRIC), Mexico, Argentina, Indonesia, Turkey and South Africa. With almost 50% of the world's population included in that list, there is a huge market for music from the emerging world.

Watch this space...