Tag Archives: Spotify

01Nov/26

Ed Sheeran and Sampa Beat the System

November 1, 2026Entertainment12, act iv, African music, Amanaz, Angélique Kidjo, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Chanda, Concord, Ecca Vandal, Ecca Vandal Magnus Mando, Ed Sheeran, Emmanuel, Emmanuel "Jagari" Chanda, Funk, Gaborone, George Groovy, George Groovy Joe, George Groovy Joe Kunda, George Kunda, Kenneth Kaunda, Klara, Kwes Darko, Laura, London, Los Angeles, Lusaka, Melbourne, Music, Music genres, Mwanjé, Nicole Gumbe, Oliver Rodigan, Paul Ngozi, Psychedelic rock, Sampa, Sampa Tembo, Sia, Simon Says, Solomon Moyo, Spotify, Sydney, Tembo, United Kingdom, United States, Witch, Zambia, Zambian music, Zamrockadmin

Sampa the Great Reclaims Her Bloodline and Reinvents Zambian Rock on ‘Nu Zamrock’

Sun, Nov 01 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — Sampa the Great (Sampa Tembo) released her third studio album, Nu Zamrock, on October 30, 2026, through Loma Vista Recordings. Spanning 16 tracks across 37 minutes, the record represents an autobiographical reclamation, an intergenerational dialogue, and a modern sonic expansion of Zambia’s foundational 1970s rock movement. Co-executive produced by Sampa alongside Grammy-winning producer Cadenza, the album was crafted across intensive writing sessions in Botswana, production work in Lusaka with Zambian producers Magnus Mando (Mag44) and Solomon Moyo, and finishing sessions in Los Angeles. Rather than treating the project as retro-nostalgia, Sampa describes the record as “the future remembering where it came from,” blending overdriven psychedelic rock guitars and kalindula polyrhythms with hard-hitting hip-hop, poetry, and soul. Continue reading →

28Oct/26

How Digital Tech Saves Vinyl Records

October 28, 2026MusicAudio storage, Chartlex, Cloud storage, Computing, Digital technology, Internet broadcasting, Japan, London, Music industry, New York City, New Zealand, Norway, Nuku'alofa, Operating systems, Peter Fealey, Phonograph record, Reddit, SoundCloud, Spotify, Streaming media, Streaming music services, Tokyo, United Kingdom, United Statesadmin

The Pulse of the Crate: How Live Community Feeds Transformed Vinyl Discovery

Mon, July 26 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The Live Vinyl Community Feed represents a structural shift in physical music discovery, transforming solitary record collecting into a real-time, interactive global network. Rather than relying on static catalogs or passive marketplace listings, the feed captures synchronous “Save to Crate” actions across diverse genres, broadcasting details such as album titles, release years, record labels, and physical store geolocations in real time. Collectors contribute enriched micro-metadata alongside acquisitions, attaching Goldmine condition grades, shop locations, and personal commentary on specific pressings or drum breaks. Advanced hardware protocols—including LiDAR groove depth mapping, acoustic scratch detection during playback, and NFC sleeve tagging—further standardize physical condition verification, bridging tactile playback with digital cataloging. Continue reading →

11Sep/26

How Vinchenzo Mbale hacked the music algorithm

September 11, 2026MusicAfrica, Bobby East, Countries, Emma, Geography of Africa, Jae Cash, Kaira, Kalindula, Kayz Adams, Kitwe, Kwacha, Music of Zambia, Spotify, Vincent Daka, Vinchenzo, Zambia, Zambian musicadmin

Inside Chakolwa Wa Nzeru: How Vinchenzo M’bale Built a Modern Cultural Movement

Thu Sep 10 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — Vincent Daka, professionally known as Vinchenzo M’bale, is a prominent Zambian recording artist born on October 11, 1996. Raised across the Eastern Province and the industrial hub of Kitwe on the Copperbelt, he built a dual-regional perspective that deeply connects to his Chewa heritage. Despite being the son of a Reverend in the Reformed Church in Zambia, Daka adapted his early ecclesiastical choral arrangement training into secular music, using traditional call-and-response structures to address contemporary social conditions. Continue reading →

17Apr/26

Championing the Bhundu Boys: How Andy Kershaw Redefined British Radio

April 17, 2026MusicAli Farka Touré, Andy Kershaw, Angola, Bhundu Boys, Biggie Tembo, DJ John Peel, Equatorial Guinea, Fraser Kershaw, Haiti, Harare, Iraq, Jesse Fuller, John Walters, Kershaw, London, Mali, Montserrat, North Korea, Radio Academy Awards, Robin Millar, Roger Wright, Russia, Shrapnel Kershaw, Sierra Leone, Spotify, Toumani Diabaté, True Jit, World musicadmin

April 17, 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — Andy Kershaw’s career as a pioneering radio broadcaster was defined by his relentless curiosity and rejection of Anglo-American rock hegemony in favor of global “roots” music. Beginning his BBC Radio 1 tenure in 1985 with the rare privilege of complete editorial freedom over his playlist, Kershaw mixed country, blues, reggae, folk, and a vast array of African, Caribbean, and Latin American dance music. His broadcasting philosophy was anchored in a Reithian motto he shared with his mentor, producer John Walters: “We’re not here to give the public what it wants. We’re here to give the public what it didn’t know it wanted”. Continue reading →

13Feb/26

Vionde Music Mixtapes: From 1970s Zamrock to Modern Zed Beats

February 13, 2026MusicAngie Stone, Biology of romantic love, Dating, Interpersonal attraction, Interpersonal relationships, Intimate relationship, Kenneth Kaunda, Love, Music, oxytocin, Reminiscence, Rhythm, Romance, Spotify, Stanley Clarke, Tonga, Witch, Zambia, Zamrockadmin

Why We Sing: The Hidden Science of Love, Zambia’s Golden Soul, and the Art of the Perfect Mixtape

Feb 13, 2026 /Mpelembe media/ — The impulse to share a specific song with a partner is among our most enduring romantic rituals, yet it represents a profound transition in the human experience: the shift from music as a fleeting acoustic performance to music as a curated, tangible artifact. This act of intentional construction is not merely about entertainment; it is the building of a “sonic identity” that serves as a physical representation of intimacy. To understand why music maintains such a visceral grip on our romantic lives, we must look to the intersection of evolutionary ontogeny and cultural heritage. From the rhythmic scaffolding of our ancestors to the “Golden Soul” of 1970s Zambia, music functions as a sophisticated toolkit designed to signal fitness, accelerate trust, and preserve our collective “affective heritage.”

Continue reading →

06Jan/26

Copyright infringement, artist compensation

January 6, 2026MusicAI, AI safety, Artificial intelligence, Artificial intelligence and copyright, Artificial intelligence art, Ben Thompson, Deepfake, Deezer, Elton John, Ethics of artificial intelligence, Generative artificial intelligence, Music and artificial intelligence, Paul McCartney, Regulation of artificial intelligence, Spotify, Text-to-image generationadmin

Jan. 6, 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — In 2025 and early 2026, the BBC Talking Business series and wider BBC reporting have extensively covered the transformative and controversial role of AI in the music industry. Continue reading →

17Nov/25

Monetizing Next-Gen News Formats and Experimentation

November 17, 2025Media.google, Business models, Digital display advertising, Digital media, Live streaming, New media, Paywall, Spotify, Twitch, User-generated content, Video game culture, Video hosting, YouTubeadmin

Nov. 17, 2025 /Mpelembe Media/ — The GNI Future Formats Accelerator 2025 focuses on “Supporting Long-Term Success” with a masterclass titled “From Reach to Revenue: Monetising Next-Gen News Formats.” A key section addresses the challenges and opportunities in monetising Gen Z audiences, highlighting their preference for trustworthy, flexible, and visually driven content, and their willingness to pay for news that aligns with their identity. The documents explore three primary monetisation methods: direct monetisation (including student discounts and tiered offerings like those from The Economist), on-platform monetisation (using platforms such as YouTube and Apple Podcasts), and sponsored content. Continue reading →

04Jan/24

Chile One – Who is he and why his popular in Zambia?

January 4, 2024MusicAfrobeats, Bemba, Chibwe, Chile, Christopher Chibwe, Edna, Facebook, Hometown, Kwacha, Mass media in Zambia, Music of Zambia, Spotify, Zambia, Zambian musicadmin

Jan. 4, 2024 /Entertainment/ — Chile One Mr Zambia (real name Christopher Chibwe) is the trending Zambian musician Continue reading →

20Jun/23

How Salma Sky influenced R&B music in Zambia.

June 20, 2023MusicAfrica, Bemba, Geography of Africa, Given names, Lusaka, Music of Zambia, Salma, Salma Dodia, Salma Sky, Spotify, Zambia, Zambian musicadmin

June 20, 2023 /Entertainment/ — Salma Sky was born in Lusaka, Zambia, to a Zambian father and a Lebanese mother. She began her music career at a young age, singing in church and at school events. In her early twenties, she took a hiatus from music to pursue a modeling career, but she eventually returned to music and began writing and recording her own songs. Continue reading →

20Nov/22

GRAMMY-NOMINATED INTERNATIONAL POP SENSATION KIM PETRAS JOINS THE ASCAP FAMILY

November 20, 2022MusicAmerican Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Apple Music, Kim Petras, Me!, Musicians, Operating systems, Sam Smith, Singles Chart, Songs, Spotify, United Kingdomadmin

International pop sensation and critically-acclaimed songwriter Kim Petras has signed with ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Her recent collaboration “Unholy,” with Sam Smith was nominated on Tuesday for a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. The song rocketed to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Global 200 charts, #1 worldwide on Spotify and Apple Music, #1 on the UK Official Singles Chart and has racked up more than 300 million global streams. Her latest release “If Jesus Was a Rockstar,” is available now. Continue reading