As Zimbabwe’s music industry faces challenges in royalty collection and distribution TEXPO STEAMON 25 recently launched the PlayFair challenge.

Students will develop Raspberry Pi-based tracking systems to bring transparency to music royalty collection, ensuring artists can verify when and where their music is played.

The PlayFair challenge tasks students with building affordable Raspberry Pi-based devices that can listen to audio from FM stations or streams, identify songs in real time, log every play with timestamps and source, and store data offline before syncing later. The system will send verifiable reports to artists, Collective Management Organizations (CMOs), and broadcasters, creating unprecedented transparency in royalty collection.

Recent controversies have highlighted the information gap between what CMOs report and what artists actually receive. Many artists cannot independently verify collection reports, creating a trust deficit that undermines the industry’s growth.

The timing aligns with the African Union’s designation of 2025 as the Year of African Cultural Heritage, emphasizing the urgency of protecting African artists’ rights and ensuring fair compensation for their cultural contributions.

Current collection methods lack verifiable data, leaving artists unable to challenge or verify payments from radio stations, bars, and events. Participants will work with Raspberry Pi 4/Pico, audio interfaces, Python or Node.js, and open-source audio recognition libraries.

The challenge connects to broader movements for artist rights and fair compensation across Africa, where similar transparency issues affect creative industries continent-wide. The resulting technology could serve as a model for other African countries facing similar challenges.

Students from tertiary institutions across Zimbabwe can participate in the September 22-26 hackathon at Harare Institute of Technology Innovation Hub. Winners will receive prizes and ongoing support for solution development.

Registration is open to all tertiary students. For more information and registration details, visit www.texpoafrica.com or contact hello@texpoafrica.com