By Cank Media
Category: Music / Entertainment / Business
Northern Uganda’s creative industry is beginning to see a new opportunity for musicians to earn from their recorded music, as artists from the region start applying for and signing agreements connected to MTN CallerTunez.
For years, many musicians in Northern Uganda have depended heavily on live performances, concerts, bookings and events as some of their main sources of income. While performing on stage remains an important part of an artist’s career, the growth of digital music platforms is opening another route through which recorded songs can generate value.
The development is particularly significant for artists whose music has a strong following but who may not have frequent opportunities to perform at major concerts.
A Bridge Between Northern Artists and a Major Platform
The emerging connection between Northern Uganda’s artists and MTN CallerTunez is creating what many in the region see as a much-needed bridge between local music creators and a major telecommunications platform.
Through CallerTunez, MTN customers can select songs and other audio content to play as ringback tones when people call them. MTN says the service provides artists and content owners with an additional way to monetize their work.
This means an artist’s song does not necessarily have to wait for a concert audience before it can generate commercial value.
Instead, a song can continue reaching listeners through their mobile phones while the artist is at home, in the studio, travelling or working on another project.
For Northern Uganda’s growing music industry, that represents an important shift in how artists can think about the value of recorded music.
From Stage Performance to Digital Earnings
The traditional music business has often placed significant emphasis on physical appearances.
An artist releases a song, promotes it, gets bookings and eventually performs before a paying audience. But concerts come with costs, including transport, promotion, venue arrangements, equipment and other logistical requirements.
MTN itself has acknowledged the challenges musicians face in turning their music into sustainable income and says CallerTunez provides another avenue for artists to earn between shows.
The opportunity therefore extends the commercial life of a song beyond the stage.
A popular song can continue being consumed by fans through CallerTunez, creating an additional digital income opportunity for its owner.
Northern Uganda’s Artists Enter the Conversation
The latest development is attracting attention among artists in Northern Uganda, with musicians reportedly beginning the process of applying and signing contracts to have their songs considered for the CallerTunez platform.
The development is especially relevant to artists producing music in Acholi, Lango, West Nile and other parts of Northern Uganda, where the creative industry continues to produce songs with strong local audiences.
For years, artists from the region have called for stronger links between Northern Uganda’s musicians and national entertainment platforms.
The growing participation in CallerTunez could provide one of those connections.
Rather than waiting for opportunities to travel to Kampala or depend entirely on regional concerts, artists can explore digital distribution channels that allow their music to reach mobile users across Uganda.
Fans Also Become Part of the Music Economy
CallerTunez does not only involve the artist.
Fans play an important role because they are the people who select and use songs as their ringback tones.
MTN’s previous CallerTunez initiatives have specifically linked customer engagement with opportunities for artists to benefit from their music. In 2021, MTN described CallerTunez as one of its efforts to digitize Ugandan music and create additional income streams for content owners.
MTN has also continued to use CallerTunez campaigns to promote Ugandan music and encourage fans to interact with their favourite artists’ songs. Its 2025 “Digida and Win” campaign, for example, encouraged customers to activate their favourite tunes through CallerTunez.
This creates a simple connection:
Artist → Song → Fan → CallerTunez → Digital music consumption → Potential income for the content owner.
More Than Just Another Platform
For Northern Uganda, the significance goes beyond putting individual songs on a telecommunications platform.
It is about changing the mindset around music as a business.
A song is not only something an artist performs on stage. It is intellectual property and digital content that can potentially generate value through different channels.
MTN has previously rewarded artists whose CallerTunez recorded strong downloads, demonstrating that the platform can create financial opportunities around the consumption of local music.
As more Northern artists explore such platforms, the region’s music industry could become increasingly connected to Uganda’s wider digital entertainment economy.
Cank Media Helping Artists Explore the Opportunity
Artists who are interested in exploring the opportunity can seek assistance with the application process and understanding the requirements before submitting their music.
Cank Media Marketing Consultants Agency is encouraging Northern Uganda artists interested in the CallerTunez opportunity to get in touch for assistance with filling the relevant form and beginning the process.
Interested artists can contact Cank Media:
Call/WhatsApp: +256 772 972553
Artists should ensure that they have the necessary rights and authority over the music they submit and carefully review any contract or agreement before signing.
A New Chapter for Northern Uganda’s Music Industry
The rise of digital music opportunities is gradually changing the economics of being an artist.
For Northern Uganda’s musicians, the emerging connection with CallerTunez represents an opportunity to take their recorded music beyond concerts, bars, events and radio airplay and into the everyday mobile experience of listeners.
The stage will always matter.
But in an increasingly digital music industry, the song can continue working for the artist even after the performance ends.
And for Northern Uganda’s creative community, building that bridge between local artists and major digital platforms could become an important part of the region’s next chapter in music business.