RECORDED MUSIC INDUSTRY OVERVIEW


Tanzania

(United Republic of)


Africa

Potential of Recorded Music

MEDI aims to highlight music’s potential as a global tool to reduce poverty and drive economic growth by estimating its worldwide value. This includes projecting how that value could increase if every country had supportive institutions in place, such as appropriate legislation, infrastructure, and policies, and if music achieved full market penetration. We are currently collecting data in each country to support this analysis.


[+] RECORDED MUSIC POTENTIAL VALUEEXPLANATORY NOTES: TBC

Coming soon


[+] GROWTH POTENTIALEXPLANATORY NOTES: TBC

Coming soon


[+] INDUSTRY BAROMETER/CHANGE POTENTIALEXPLANATORY NOTES: TBC

Coming soon

Local Impact

Over time, MEDI will conduct country-level economic and social impact assessments to better understand how to unlock sustainable growth within national music ecosystems.


[+] DIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACTEXPLANATORY NOTES: TBC

Coming soon


[+] INDIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACTEXPLANATORY NOTES: TBC

Coming soon


[+] INDUCED ECONOMIC IMPACTEXPLANATORY NOTES: TBC

Coming soon


[+] JOBS CREATED BY MUSICEXPLANATORY NOTES: TBC

Coming soon


[+] VALUE OF MUSIC EXPORTSEXPLANATORY NOTES: TBC

Coming soon


[+] MUSIC EXPORT POTENTIALEXPLANATORY NOTES: TBC

Coming soon

Socioeconomic Indicators


68,560,157


[+] GDP PPPmillions, 2024 data, using constant 2021 international $


EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via World Bank Development Indicators database. Accessed 15/01/2026.

$246,706


[+] GDP PER CAPITA (nominal)2024 data, USD


EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via World Bank, using national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files. Accessed 15/01/2026.

$1,186.72


5.53%

[+] GDP GROWTH (annual %)2024 data


EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via World Bank, using national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files. Accessed 15/01/2026.

[+] GINI INDEX2018 data


EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Accessed 15/01/2026.

40.5%


[+] INFLATION RATEAnnual % change, 2026 data


EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via IMF World Economic Outlook. Accessed 16/01/2026.

3.50%


[+] POPULATION BY AGE GROUP%, 2025 data


EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via US Census Bureau International Database (IDB). Accessed 16/01/2026.

[+] URBAN POPULATION%, 2024 data


EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via World Bank, using United Nations Population Division database. Accessed 15/01/2026.

36.17%


[+] UNEMPLOYMENT RATE2024 estimate


EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via CIA World Factbook. Accessed 15/01/2026.

2.60%


[+] YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT RATE2024 estimate


EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via CIA World Factbook. Accessed 15/01/2026.

3.30%


[+] POVERTY RATE2018 data


EXPLANATORY NOTES: Poverty rate at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% population). Data via
Poverty and Inequality Platform, The World Bank. Accessed 15/01/2026.

51.35%


[+] INTERNET PENETRATIONITU estimate, 2023


EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via International Telecommunication Union (ITU) DataHub. Accessed 15/01/2026.

29.10%


[+] GLOBAL ACCOUNT OWNERSHIPThe percentage of respondents who report having an account (by themselves or together with someone else) at a bank or another type of financial institution or report personally using a mobile money service in the past 12 months (% age 15+), 2024 data


EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via World Bank Global Findex Database. Accessed 15/01/2026.

59.83%


[+] CREDIT CARD OWNERSHIPThe percentage of respondents who report having a credit card, % age 15+, 2024 data


EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via World Bank Global Financial Inclusion Database. Accessed 15/01/2026.

0.80%


[+] MOBILE DATA COSTAverage price of 1GB data, USD, 2023 data


EXPLANATORY NOTES: Data via Cable.co.uk. Accessed 15/01/2026.

$0.84

Industry Infrastructure

Collective Management Organisations


Authors & Publishers

[+] EXPLANATORY NOTESRepresents collective management organizations covering mechanical and performance rights for musical compositions.

Performers

[+] EXPLANATORY NOTES Represents collective management organizations covering neighbouring/related rights for performers.

Producers

[+] EXPLANATORY NOTESRepresents collective management organizations covering neighbouring/related rights for producers.

Voluntary Joint Ventures & Umbrella entities for licensing users

None

[+] EXPLANATORY NOTESRepresents joint ventures and umbrella entities that exist to help streamline and manage licensing, often working to create efficiencies around licensing specific rights. For example, PPL PRS Ltd. is a JV between the UK’s two music licensing organisations – PPL and PRS for Music, that provides a streamlined music licensing service that allows businesses to obtain all the licenses necessary to play and perform music in public via a single point of contact.

Associations


Music Authors


Music Publishers

None


Music Performers


Sound Recording Producers/Labels


Other


Music Export Office

None


Joint Industry Body

None


Policies


Culture Policy/Strategy


Music Policy/Strategy

None

Legal Framework

Digital and Performance Rights Treaties

Other Treaties


National Copyright Legislation

National Treatment

  • Tanzania (the United Republic of) protects works of foreign authors who have their habitual residence in Tanzania, works first published in Tanzania, and in accordance with treaties Tanzania is a party.

    Qualifying foreign authors enjoy protection concerning performance rights and digital exploitation of the eligible works.

  • Tanzania (the United Republic of) protects the rights of foreign performers and producers of phonograms in accordance with the treaties Tanzania is a party.

    Qualifying foreign performers and producers of phonograms enjoy reproduction rights.

    Tanzania also protects the rights of foreign performers if the performance takes place in Tanzania, is fixed in a protected phonogram or is embodied in a protected broadcast programme (i.e., when the headquarters of the broadcasting organisation is in Tanzania or transmitters are situated in Tanzania). Phonograms are protected if the producer is a national of Tanzania, the first fixation of sounds was made in Tanzania, and the phonogram was first published in Tanzania.

    Qualifying foreign performers and producers of phonograms enjoy protection concerning performance rights and digital exploitation of their fixed performances and phonograms, respectively.

  • “National Treatment” refers to the assimilation of the treatment of foreign right holders to that of domestic right holders. It is a basic rule of most international conventions and mandates that foreign rights holders from contracting countries must receive the protection within any other contracting country as that country grants to its own nationals, ensuring equal rights under the scope of the relevant convention.

    General national treatment obligations are set out in Article 5 of the Berne Convention and Article 2 of the Rome Convention, providing that the members of respective conventions must grant to each other’s nationals the rights provided in the convention. Berne Convention also extends the national treatment to “the rights which their respective laws do now or may hereafter grant to their nationals,” while Rome Convention members are not obliged to extend national treatment to the rights of performers and producers of phonograms which are accorded under their national law over and above the rights enshrined in the Rome Convention.

    The criteria for eligibility for protection are provided in Article 3 of the Berne Convention and Articles 4 and 5 of the Rome Convention. With regards to national treatment of producers of phonograms, members of the Rome Convention may reserve the right not to apply either the criterion of fixation or that of publication of the phonogram.

    As per WIPO, the total number of members to the key treaties above is as follows:

    Berne Convention: 181 Members
    Rome Convention: 98 Members
    WIPO Copyright Treaty: 118 Members
    WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty: 114 Members
    TRIPS Agreement: 166 Members

    This is a high-level overview concerning national treatment of music authors, performers and producers of phonograms; for comprehensive and detailed provisions, refer to the laws of each country. The overview:

    1) details only the criteria applicable to foreign rights holders, without including the broader set of qualification rules for domestic protection that do not concern them,

    2) is limited to performance rights and digital exploitation of recorded music, including works and other protected objects:

    - “Performance rights” include radio and TV broadcasting, public performance, and communication to the public,

    - “Digital exploitation” includes reproduction rights, distribution rights, communication to the public and making available rights.

    The term "based on reciprocity" used in the overview for some countries means that Country A will protect the works of authors or other right holders who are nationals of Country B that is not a member of treaties Country A is a party to, and whose works or other protected objects were first published outside of Country A, only if Country B offer similar copyright protection to Country A’s authors or other rights holders and works and other protected objects respectively first published in Country A.

    The term "treaty" in the overview includes conventions and international agreements.

Music Consumption

Domestic Repertoire Quotas


[+] EXPLANATORY NOTESDomestic Repertoire Quota(s) referes to legislation and/or policies which require broadcasters to dedicate a specific % of music broadcast content to domestic/local/national artists.

Yes

There is a domestic repertoire (local content) quota for broadcasters who must ensure that:

  • A minimum of 60% of all content annually is produced by natural or legal persons who are citizens, permanent residents or legal persons majority of whose directors or shareholders are citizens or permanently reside in the United Republic, or are authorised by the licensee or any person to undertake local content production.

  • Not less than 80% of their music selection aired daily between 5.30 a.m. and 9.00 p.m. is Tanzanian music.

The full text of the quotas and definition of local content may be found in Section 31 of the Electronic and Postal Communications (Radio and Television Broadcasting Content) Regulations, 2018 (amendments in 2024) made under Section 103 of the Electronic and Postal Communications Act, 2010.

Digital Streaming Services


GLOBAL STREAMING SERVICES


REGIONAL STREAMING SERVICES


DOMESTIC STREAMING SERVICES

Key Risks and Opportunities

Risks

  • Investment risks in Tanzania are primarily defined by low consumer purchasing power and high economic inequality. With high poverty rate and low nominal GDP per capita, the market for premium subscription models is limited.

  • Market reach is restricted by a significant connectivity and infrastructure gap. Although mobile data is available, it remains comparatively expensive relative to local incomes, and only a third of the population is currently online.

  • Non-adherence to key international treaties like the Rome Convention, WCT, and WPPT signifies a weak legal framework for protecting digital and performance rights, creating vulnerabilities for rights holders in the modern music landscape.

Opportunities

  • The large youth demographic, combined with low overall and youth unemployment, represents a significant potential consumer base for music and creative content.

  • The comparatively high global account ownership (including mobile money) can be leveraged for digital music sales and subscriptions, bypassing the limitations of low credit card ownership and supporting infrastructure for digital payment systems.

  • The availability of global, regional and local streaming services signifies an established digital music consumption habit and a competitive streaming market offering Tanzanian artists a pathway to reach wider audiences.

Select another country


The Music Economy Development Initiative is a global research project, and we aim to build datasets for every country over time. To start, we have prioritised the African continent, as shown below. With additional donations, we will expand to more countries and regions.