Value For The Kenyan Creative Industry

After four years of operation, we have gained a considerable amount of insight into what value we offer as an organization and what value we would like to offer in the future. As Radio 254, we were the first ever radio station in the world to play 100% Kenyan music. This on its own was a moment in history as finally, Kenyan music had a home and a place where it was shared and appreciated. When we were starting in 2020, Kenyan artists just wanted to have their music played on the radio because for years Kenyan music has been sidelined by Kenyan radio.

Having a radio station that plays 100% Kenyan music has been exciting for both Radio 254 and Kenyan artists. As we have gone on, however, we have begun to feel that there must be more ways that we as Radio 254 can impact the people that we serve which is the Kenyan creative industry. In the beginning, we as Radio 254 offered Kenyan artists a platform by playing and showcasing their music online via our website www.254.radio When we opened our first physical location in April 2021, how we offered value and impact grew as we were able to interview the artists who music we had been playing since 2020. In addition to interviews, a physical location allowed Radio 254 to offer studio space for Kenyan artists to record and create more Kenyan music and content as well as internships for college students to gain an understating of the media industry. As we reflect on things, the two most important things to Radio 254 moving forward are increasing the value that we as Radio 254 offer to Kenyan creatives while ensuring that Radio 254 is sustainable. So, after much reflection, we as Radio 254 are going to be rethinking how and to whom we offer value. The goal for us is to increase the amount of value and benefits we offer Kenyan creatives. We don’t want to simply play and playlist Kenyan music on the radio but have developed a new platform that seeks to catalog, pay, and promote Kenyan music and content above the existing radio platform. We are never going to stop playing and promoting Kenyan music, we are just going to find a sustainable way to do it while creating the much-needed value that Kenyan creatives deserve.