Elijah Kitaka has opened up about how the rise of streaming platforms has changed the music industry, arguing that the current system gives new and emerging artists more opportunities to gain visibility.
Speaking on Galaxy TV, Kitaka compared today’s music landscape to the era of Radio & Weasel, saying artists and fans at the time had little knowledge of platforms such as Apple Music and other digital streaming services.
We didn’t even know about those platforms. A song would hit on its own, but now we even have Apple Music charts where your song can be number one and elsewhere the rankings matter.
According to Kitaka, streaming rankings have now become an important part of how artists and songs are recognised, with chart positions and visibility on digital platforms sometimes influencing awards and industry recognition.
He noted that this is different from the previous generation, when a song largely had to prove its popularity organically before it could be considered a major hit. Kitaka believes the growing acceptance of different sounds has also made it easier for new artists to break through.
Things are in our generation and that’s why things have changed. People have accepted the sound as well, but back then you’d come up with your new sound like in R&B and people would question, ‘What’s that?’ People now embrace music because they want it; they want something different.
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