Zimbabwean executives join recording academy
The global music landscape is undergoing a structural shift, and Southern Africa is increasingly at the centre of boardroom discussions.
In a significant development for the continent’s creative economy, a new wave of Zimbabwean music executives has been invited to join the Recording Academy’s Class of 2026.
Eddie Hatitye, Usher Takudzwa Nyambi, and Munyaradzi “Munya” Chanetsa have all been recognised for their structural, commercial, and narrative contributions to the global music ecosystem.
Their inclusion marks a departure from an era where African participation in global music was largely confined to vocalists and performers.
Now, local executives are taking up space within the very institutions that govern international music standards, copyright, and recognition.
The Recording Academy’s Changing Face
The Recording Academy is one of the world’s leading music organisations and the organising body behind the annual Grammy Awards.
For decades, the institution has been viewed as a largely Western-centric body.
However, African music has never been more celebrated on the world stage; what used to be a distant influence is now a driving force in today’s global sound.
From the commanding energy of Afrobeats to the rolling grooves of amapiano, the continent’s sounds have been enchanting distant audiences, inspiring collaborations with world-renowned talents, and influencing the direction of popular music worldwide.
The Recording Academy’s introduction of the Best African Music Performance Category in 2023 signalled a new era of recognition, one that acknowledges the artistry, innovation and cultural impact of African creators.
However, true inclusion requires structural representation behind the scenes.
Professional Members of the Academy comprise an international community of artists, producers, songwriters, engineers, and music executives committed to advancing the recording industry.
By bringing Zimbabwean industry leaders into this fold, the Academy is ensuring that the intricacies of the Southern African market are accurately represented when global decisions are made.
Eddie Hatitye: Developing the Continent’s Infrastructure
African music executive and social entrepreneur Eddie Hatitye was invited to join the Recording Academy’s Class of 2026, earning recognition for nearly two decades of work developing Africa’s music industry and expanding its influence on the global stage.
Hatitye joins the prestigious organisation as a Professional Member.
The invitation acknowledges his extensive contribution to Africa’s creative economy, where he has worked across music industry development, cultural policy, entrepreneurship, research, investment, and international partnerships.
Among his most significant achievements is leading the establishment and growth of the Music In Africa Foundation (MIAF), which stands as one of the continent’s foremost music development organisations.
During his tenure, the foundation launched and expanded flagship initiatives, including ACCES, Africa’s leading music business conference.
He has also overseen programmes such as NEFCISA, Gender@Work, and the Sound Connects Fund.
These collective initiatives have supported thousands of artists and music professionals through skills development, research, market access, mobility, and employment opportunities.
Hatitye’s influence extends deeply into global policy.
In 2025, he was appointed by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as an international expert for its Creative Industries Forum in the Caribbean.
He has also worked as a senior consultant for the World Bank Group, contributing to the implementation of the CREATIFI programme in Mozambique and Senegal to strengthen creative industries and improve sector competitiveness.
As an entrepreneur, Hatitye founded InterArts Funding, an agency that helps African social enterprises, non-profit organisations, and creative businesses secure funding while providing strategic advisory and organisational development services.
Furthermore, he has maintained an active career as a record producer under his Epic Minds production imprint, securing production credits with artists such as Camidoh, Skales, S’Villa, Trigmatic, and Ghanaian highlife legend Ebo Taylor.
Munya Chanetsa: Mastering the Business of Publishing
While developmental infrastructure is crucial, the commercial monetisation of African art remains a highly complex hurdle.
Munya Chanetsa joins the Academy as a visionary in Africa’s music and entertainment industry, blending creative innovation with a deep understanding of the business.
Chanetsa serves as the Managing Director of EMPIRE Publishing and is the founder of Masters Of The Industry (MOTI).
His career spans artists and repertoire (A&R), rights management, artist development, and publishing across multiple African markets.
Through his extensive work, Chanetsa has played a significant role in shaping how talent, structure, and ownership come together to build long-term careers for creatives.
With extensive experience in music publishing, licensing, and content monetisation, he is passionate about empowering creatives and redefining the industry’s future.
The inclusion of publishing executives like Chanetsa in the Academy is a critical step for African artists, who have historically struggled with the loss of their intellectual property rights to foreign entities.
His presence ensures that global royalty collection and publishing standards are increasingly aligned with the realities of African creators.
Usher Takudzwa Nyambi: Amplifying the African Narrative
The trajectory of a musical genre is often dictated by who gets to tell its story.
Usher Takudzwa Nyambi has been at the forefront of this narrative shift, emerging as a vital connector between local creativity and global recognition.
Trained in International Relations at Africa University, his influence moves like a quiet current: steady, directional, and shaping future interpretations.
Nyambi founded Samora Central, an entity that began as a modest website and WhatsApp group before evolving into a PR and communications agency linking Zimbabwean and African creativity to the world.
He served as the Contributing Editor for Southern Africa at Rolling Stone Africa. In this capacity, and through his ongoing work, he collapses the distance between talent and opportunity.
Nyambi’s itinerary reads like a compressed map of Africa’s contemporary cultural circuit.
He is a regular presence at major events, including the ACCES music conference, the NBA BAL Finals, Red Bull Symphonic in South Africa, and Fabrik Party in Zimbabwe.
He moves seamlessly between high-impact panels on fashion, culture, business, and entertainment.
Nyambi represents a new class of African cultural actors operating at the intersection of reporter, critic, curator, and advocate.
He understands both the assignment and the stakes of representation, as well as the severe consequences of misrecognition on the global stage.
What This Means for Zimbabwe’s Creative Economy
The induction of these three figures into the Recording Academy is more than ceremonial; it is deeply functional.
For years, the Southern African music industry has operated with limited institutional gateways into Western markets.
Artists often relied on secondary connections or foreign A&R representatives to champion their work during award seasons or global publishing deals.
The Class of 2026 alters this dynamic. Zimbabwe now has a comprehensive bloc of professionals inside the Grammy ecosystem.
From developmental framework to narrative amplification, the entire pipeline of the music business is represented.
As African music continues to enjoy unprecedented international growth, with artists, producers, and music entrepreneurs increasingly shaping global charts and festivals, the influence of African professionals within global institutions must expand accordingly.
The inclusion of Hatitye, Nyambi, and Chanetsa in the Recording Academy’s Class of 2026 underscores this growing influence and reflects the continent’s expanding role in shaping the future of the international recording industry.
It is a clear signal that the world is no longer just listening to African music; it is finally taking direction from its leaders.
