Founder of DonluAfrica, a local online music platform, Llewelyn Adams (28) said the appreciation and love for music have led him to establish a podium that promotes local music.

It has been successful since it’s formation in 2012. While other young Namibians are also contributing to the economy through different spheres and markets, Adams feels there is a lot of niches in the music industry that haven’t been exhausted yet. DonluAfrica is one of Namibia’s premier online music and merchandise stores were musicians/artists in the creative space can sell their albums, single tracks and any products affiliated to their brands. “Music has always been my first love.

Namibia is blessed to have so many diverse and talented musicians, but we lack the necessary resources to get our artists and music out there, hence the reason to establish a platform for Namibian musicians,” explained Adams. DonluAfrica provides a platform for local musicians to upload and sell their music online, advancing the local music industry and giving Namibian musicians the chance to get noticed internationally. He stated that something which stood out for him was the lack of platforms for local artists to get their music on to and with the existing platforms proving difficult. “Back then, not all the musicians were tech-savvy enough to do so, hence I decided to set up one that could compete at an international level with other platforms alike, yet maintain the easiest of UIs (User Interfaces) - easy enough for our Namibians,” elaborated Adams.

DonluAfrica has more than 266 artists registered on the site. “We have received quite a lot of new submissions over the last 3 weeks - so that number definitely will increase,” mentioned Adams. The online site currently sits on 2.67 million streams, with Adams admitting that the lockdown gave them that extra push in streams. “We are positive that we will reach the three million mark before end June2020,” he said. The vicenarian told further told Youth Corner platforms such as Donlu are critical in the country’s entertainment scene. “Right now, it has proved that it plays a vital role in the lives of our musicians especially, if our artists are supported more, through the purchasing of albums online, they could help fend for not only themselves but also their families,” believed Adams.

Adams said in the near future, DonluAfrica is capable of employing many music experts. “Right now, we do not employ anybody on a full-time basis - we do however make outsource if and when needed. The plan is to however offer employment to as little as 20 people on a full-time basis as soon as our music hub is up and running,” reverted Adams on whether they have taken in people as far as employment is concerned. The biggest struggle for him, in the beginning, was the lack of resources, however as time went by, things changed. “I managed to save up enough to acquire what I needed to ensure the smooth operation of the platform with no hindrances,” reminisced Adams.

He said venturing into this type of business required and still necessitates a lot of time. ”This is especially during the update or maintenance periods and having to juggle between a full-time job and DonluAfrica, time can be limited, but it all comes down to how bad you want it. I live by the saying that I have dreams worth more than my sleep. So I try and make it work as best as I possibly could,” concluded Adams.