A gospel composition, Nontokozo Mkhize’s “Esandleni”, won the SAMRO Highest Airplay Composer Award at the 32nd South African Music Awards (SAMAs) on 15 August 2026, according to SAMRO. The award goes to the local work with the highest airplay over the qualifying period, and it followed a run of winners from the amapiano scene. The ceremony took place at the Sun City Superbowl.
Previous recipients include Kabza De Small for “Isimo”, K.O, Young Stunna and Blxckie for “Sete”, Zakes Bantwini and Kasango for “Osama”, and Master KG and Nomcebo Zikode for “Jerusalema”. The story matters beyond a single award, because airplay is one of the numbers that drive royalties.
What the numbers show
Spotify’s 2025 Loud & Clear report listed worship music among the five fastest-growing genres in South Africa over the past five years, according to SAMRO. Mkhize’s debut album, Lindiwe, was the only gospel project on Spotify’s list of South Africa’s ten most-streamed albums for 2025. It passed one million streams in its first week and more than 28 million by the end of the year. The same Spotify report found that Zulu-language music grew 37% in global royalties year on year and 120% over two years, a global figure rather than one specific to South Africa.
These are separate data points. None of the figures SAMRO cites compares gospel directly with amapiano on streams or sales, so the award should not be read as proof that gospel has overtaken amapiano commercially. SAMRO’s General Manager of Member Services, Nobambo Goduka, said: “Esandleni is a testament to the power of gospel music to move audiences.”
Why it matters to small businesses
Airplay and streaming both feed royalty income. When a genre’s songs are played more on radio and streaming platforms, the royalties flowing to composers, independent artists and the small labels and publishers around them grow with it. Those businesses can reinvest in new talent, recording equipment or distribution.
Live-music promoters and venues also watch which genres are drawing audiences when they design line-ups. Gospel has a built-in audience through churches, community gatherings and radio stations that cater to faith-based listeners, and a high-profile award win can raise interest in gospel concerts, gospel-themed festivals or hybrid events. That creates an opening for small event managers to pitch gospel acts to venues that have focused on other genres.
Radio stations and advertisers follow listening data, too. More airplay for a genre can raise the value of advertising slots on stations that target that audience, and small agencies that specialise in music campaigns may need to adjust their media plans.
Small operators who have built their models around a single genre may want to diversify, for example by scouting emerging gospel talent or by offering events that blend styles. The lesson is that the metrics behind music awards, airplay and streams, also drive revenue streams, and that one award does not settle which genre leads the market. Keeping an eye on airplay and streaming data from sources such as SAMRO and Spotify can give an early sense of where audiences are moving.
