Insight
Serign-B: The SAE Graduate Reclaiming Lost Income for Africa’s Music Icons
An interview with Serign-B on restoring royalties, supporting cultural legends and building a venture that began inside an SAE classroom.
When Serign-B entered the SAE Alumni Enterprise Award, he did it at the last minute.
“I think I was actually the last application,” he says. “I submitted it just a few minutes before the deadline.”
He did not expect to win. But when the result came through, the moment meant more than a simple trophy.
“It was a validation of the journey I’m on,” he says. “And it all started at SAE.”
The question that changed everything
Serign-B’s project began as part of an enterprise module during his Music Business studies. But the idea had deeper roots.
Before coming to SAE, he had run a blog promoting Gambian music. Through that experience, he had noticed something troubling. Many of the artists he grew up listening to were considered cultural legends, yet they were living in poverty.
“Some of them would die poor,” he says. “Even for their burial, the community had to come together just to pay for it.”
The contradiction did not make sense. These were artists who had toured internationally, whose music was available online, yet they were seeing none of the income.
So he started asking questions.
When he spoke directly to some of the musicians, the answers were startling.
“They told me, ‘Our music is online, but we don’t know who put it there. And we’re not making any money from it.’”
That moment became the starting point for everything that followed.
Turning a classroom idea into real income
Serign-B began by helping artists upload their music properly for the first time. He had no clear business model yet, only a belief that there had to be a way to recover lost revenue.
“I just told them, give me the music and let me put it online properly,” he says. “You’ll see the money.”
Through research, conversations with distributors and a deep dive into publishing systems, he slowly built a structure that allowed him to collect royalties on behalf of artists. He focused on low-cost methods that would not burden musicians with fees.
All he asked for was the right to represent them.
It took years before the first payments arrived. When they did, the amounts were small, but they were real.
“I wanted them to actually feel the money in their hands and see the potential,” he says.
When the work becomes personal
Recently Serign sent over £1200 in royalties to an artist in The Gambia. In local currency, that amount was life changing.
Ramadan is about to start and this payment came at exactly the right time. He received voice notes filled with prayers and thanks.
It is one example of the impact his work is now having across the continent. Today, he supports around 50 artists, including cultural legends whose music had been circulating online for years without payment.
In some cases, he estimates that tens of thousands of pounds in royalties may have been lost over the course of a decade.
Now, he is working with artists from multiple countries, including a legendary Ugandan band celebrating over 50 years in music. Their catalogue is being reclaimed, reorganised and re-released properly.
The foundations built at SAE
Serign-B credits SAE Glasgow with giving him the technical understanding needed to turn an idea into a working business.
“SAE gave me the foundation,” he says. “I didn’t know much about publishing before. The lessons broke everything down, writers’ share, splits, royalties. That became my guide.”
Originally, he planned to study for just one year. But after conversations with lecturers, he stayed for a second year with scholarship support.
“That extra year gave me the chance to really understand the industry,” he says.
The knowledge he gained still shapes his work today.
“The industry keeps changing, but those foundations are what I go back to every day.”
Playing the long game
Serign-B is open about the fact that his journey was not a quick success story.
“It’s been nearly seven years,” he says. “I could have given up many times.”
Before this venture, he had tried other businesses and projects that did not work out. The difference this time was persistence.
“You have to play the long game,” he says. “You have to be willing to pivot and adapt.”
For students hoping to build their own ventures, his advice is clear.
“Don’t expect quick success. Invest your time, your energy and your resources. And be ready to change direction when you need to.”
More than an award
Winning the Alumni Enterprise Award was not the end of the story. For Serign-B, it was a sign that the work he started in a classroom now carries real weight.
“It’s recognition of the journey,” he says. “And a reminder of where it all began.”
What started as a university project is now restoring income to overlooked artists, preserving cultural legacies and building a fairer, more informed music ecosystem.
Inspired by Serign-B’s journey? Study Music Business at SAE
If Serign-B’s journey into artist rights, royalties and music entrepreneurship has sparked your interest in the industry behind the music, SAE’s Music Business course offers a structured, hands-on route into the field.
From learning about publishing, contracts and revenue streams to developing your own ventures, students gain the knowledge and practical experience needed for today’s music industry careers.
