A mobile phone app that gives users access to an archive of Ethiopian music is set to be launched in the capital, Addis Ababa.
The app known by the Amharic word Awter – has taken five years to develop by a team that included well-known composer Elias Melka.
According to developers, the app will comprise of a huge range of Ethiopian music covering all genres and languages.
The people behind Awter say the main idea is to raise revenue for all those involved in creating the music. Piracy has meant that the artists and producers rarely get money for their work.
Users will pay 4.50 birr ($0.16, £0.12) to download a single song and 15 birr ($0.52, £0.41) to download an album.
Any tracks downloaded on Awter, which will be available to Android phone users, will not be shareable in order to maximise revenue.
State telecoms company Ethio-Telecom has backed the project and will also take a share of the profits.
