From Music Producer to Tech Founder: Melody Nehemiah on Building Songdis for African Artists
In this episode, I speak with Melody Nehemiah, CEO and founder of Songdis, a platform helping African artists and labels get their music onto global streaming services and collect royalties.
Melody shares how he sold CDs as a child, produced beats, and managed artists before identifying a major gap in the music ecosystem. He experienced how hard it was for African artists to distribute music, withdraw royalties, and navigate payment systems not designed for them. That frustration drove him to start Songdis.
We discuss what it means to build a tech platform from lived experience, how African founders bootstrap ideas into reality, and why infrastructure, community, and trust help creatives grow. Melody describes the differences between record labels and distribution platforms, outlines how Songdis supports artists at different levels, and explains why Africa should build more of its own technology systems rather than rely on the rest of the world.
Whether your interest lies in music, technology, African innovation, creative independence, or the future of digital infrastructure on the continent, this conversation offers unique insights.
Highlights
Melody’s journey from music producer to founder
The real problems African artists face with royalties
Why Songdis was created
Record labels versus distribution platforms
Payments, ownership and control
Building African tech for African creatives
AI, infrastructure and the future of music on the continent
Songdis was recognised by the NBA (National Basketball Association) through its accelerator programme, highlighting its innovation in music rights and payments.Connect with Melody on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melodysongzz/Connect with me:https://stellaoni.com/Social media - stellaoni_official
