How The Vwaza X Lawi Collab Pioneered a New Era in Malawian Music Distribution

A majority of Malawian artists premiere their songs on local television and radio stations, but rely on international streaming platforms to distribute their music, despite studies indicating a huge disparity in pay gaps between creators across the globe based on race and gender. When considered with a critical eye, one thing remains true: while easily accessible to many Malawian musicians, international platforms do not have the African, let alone Malawian, musician in mind. This fact does not negate the immense benefits that these platforms provide, as they have opened up previously inaccessible markets to musicians and provided a much-needed home for their work.

When Vwaza Multimedia was established in 2021, it had the powerful mission to become a platform that vigorously centres African artists, giving them a dynamic streaming and distribution platform that can showcase their authentic work while simultaneously sharing it with a diverse, worldwide audience that has a deep appreciation for the vibrant tapestry that is the African entertainment scene. This dream grew steadily, with the platform gaining a little over three thousand users by early 2025. As we write this, our platform is nearing seven thousand users, and we have one huge, revolutionary deal to thank for it.

On Wednesday the 23rd of July 2025, Vwaza Multimedia signed an exclusive Music Distribution Agreement with Lawi Group for Lawi’s My Father’s Land album in Lilongwe. During the event, Lawi told media stakeholders that his decision to work with Vwaza was motivated by his desire to export Malawian businesses and set a new precedent for the music business industry in Malawi. The move was revolutionary because, not only did a music heavyweight with over twenty years in the industry bet his hard work on a budding company, he had also become the first Malawian artist to make his work exclusively available on a Malawian platform. His fans, who had eagerly anticipated the album for two years, were compelled to join Vwaza and be part of a music platform and experience proudly crafted by Africans, for Africans. This one move shifted tides in Malawi’s music industry, ushering in new waves of hope for what is possible for Malawi’s music scene and for the practitioners upon whom it is built.

On Sunday the 21st of September, the Lawi Group, with support from Vwaza Multimedia, held a listening session with a small, hand-picked audience for My Father’s Land in Blantyre. There, Lawi shared some songs from his 33-song album, playing songs such as Mtima Moto, Kalongosola, and the multi-lingual Uncle Zulu in Soweto, while getting feedback from his trusted supporters. The album was later sold to the audience, who spent millions on album bids. An anonymous bidder bought the album for a whopping ten million Kwacha, while other audience members, including Charles Lipenga, an architect and CEO of the UN-awarded Maestros Group, purchased the album at one million Kwacha.

While commenting on the album, one audience member - a musician and member of the Vocal Fusion band, which also performed during the Listening Session - said he was very impressed with the album. He drew attention to the artistry behind it, applauding Lawi’s attention to detail, his vocals, the instruments used, and his overall creativity in creating what he described as Lawi’s best work.

The Listening Session, while an album teaser, also prepared the Vwaza team for the album’s release to a much wider audience. They signed new users onto their app, giving them first access to the album, and also gathering data on the functionality of Vwaza’s music app and website and its users’ expectations.

When Lawi officially released My Father’s Land on Saturday the 27th of September, Vwaza experienced a user surge like it had never before. That surge, though an expected and perfect demonstration for Vwaza’s potential for growth, revealed technical issues that had Vwaza’s engineering team pull all nighters working to resolve them, while the media and social media teams supported new users with difficulties they encountered, and assuring that their feedback was the substance upon which Vwaza Multimedia could deliver products that met and superseded their expectations.

Although the album release was initially met with user complaints, Vwaza’s swift address of these concerns paved way for users to have a newfound trust in Vwaza’s ability and dedication to create memorable and inclusive experiences, and to foster a strong and transparent community that guides Vwaza’s creation of products that are tailored for and resonate with its audience and wider markets.

Vwaza’s partnership with Lawi has been a testament to what the music value chain in Malawi can be: users can promote and release music on local platforms, generate revenue from it, and still reach diverse audiences. We are the answers we have been looking for, and the energies we invest in fighting for equality and fairness on global platforms can be diverted into investing in and building platforms whose entire existence is on the well-being and success of African creators.

Lawi’s belief in Vwaza has had ripple effects: more artists now see the benefits in Vwaza’s model, such as its 80/20 earnings split, 24/7 tailored artist support, and its ability to give artists freedoms over their work, such as the choice to preview, sell, or distribute their music for free. Listeners of Lawi’s album, for instance, have the option to preview his music before purchasing it. They also have the option to pay in the Malawi Kwacha or other currencies like the American dollar. Other features like gifting allow users to share music on Vwaza to their loved ones, and others, like the “edit price” button, allow users to buy music at higher rates than those set by an artist, should they prefer to.

Vwaza’s support for other African products can not go unmentioned, as the platform has integrated local payment methods such as PayChangu, and wider African solutions like pawaPay. Vwaza believes in the African ecosystem and has plugged itself into it, acting as both a user and manufacturer of a Pan African era. This move also highlights the potential of the Malawi music industry and its value chain, and about the ripple effects it could have. The tourism industry could sell Malawian experiences through Malawian apps that center the country’s identity. The economy could benefit immensely from tax generated from music sales on platforms like Vwaza, and from their support of national and regional agendas like job creation and localised trade. Speaking of which, Malawi’s job market, which has only 9% employed people as of 2023, is a proven benefactor, as Vwaza Multimedia recently grew by three employees this year alone, bringing its employee headcount to twelve. This headcount is bound to increase before the end of the year as the company is currently hiring. Even the heritage and culture of Malawi can be preserved and promoted on platforms like Vwaza, which, although is currently streaming and selling music only, has a vision to become a home for all African creative works, including movies and podcasts. Some poets have leveraged Vwaza's audio centric platform to share their work, capitalizing on the existing infrastructure and expanding its creative scope. Movie producers who have for years complained about not being able to monetize their movies beyond premieres can find refuge in Vwaza and finally realise the financial potential of their work.

Vwaza Multimedia has cracked the shield on what was once an unattainable dream for many musicians in Malawi’s music industry and, dare we say, the tech industry. Lawi, through his belief in Vwaza, showed that dreams do come true. The Vwaza team now has its ears glued to its phones, but this time, it’s not because users want to bite our heads off. Numerous musicians—budding and established—are knocking on our doors, wanting to be a part of the revolution. We hope you will join us too.