Africa’s most popular YouTube stars are all musicians, according to a BBC report featuring DJ Edu. From artistes who made their names outside the continent, like Akon, to homegrown success like Diamond Platnumz, YouTube provides a potent platform for marketing their music.
Diamond Platnumz is Africa’s Biggest YouTube Star
On the homegrown front, Diamond Platnumz is the first singer in sub-Saharan Africa to reach 1bn views on YouTube. The Tanzanian singer is popular across Swahili-speaking East Africa where millions of fans gyrate to his “bongo flava”. By creating snippets of music on TikTok and Instagram, Diamond is able to drive engagement and traffic to his YouTube account.
Afrobeats is the Biggest Genre on African YouTube
Afrobeats stars Davido, Burna Boy, and Wizkid are among the biggest YouTube stars in Africa. But ahead of them is P Square, the Nigerian group that split up in 2017.*
- P Square: 1.4m subs; 812m views
- Davido: 1.7m subs; 621m views
- Flavour: 1.5m subs; 619m views
- Tekno: 1.38m subs; 576m views
- Burna Boy: 1.15m subs; 511m views
- Wizkid: 1.2m subs; 482m views
- Magic System: 774k subs: 478m views
International Appeal
While Afrobeats stars are enjoying successful crossovers, stars like Akon and Malian-born Aya Nakamura made it big in America and France respectively. Aya boasts of 1.7b views while Akon’s views surpass 3b.
North African countries have a larger audiences as their appeals extends to the middle east region.
How Much is YouTube Money?
YouTubers can earn approximately $3k for 1m views. That is measly compared to what they earn from shows. As DJ Edu explained, a lot of the artists use YouTube to build their online presence which allows them to draw marketing cash. And while YouTube is great for newcomers, experienced musicians know that shows and tours pay better than a Google video page.
*Numbers based on June 16, 2020 data.
Who’s your favourite African YouTuber?
Mobile Techer 