About Kobyna

Kobyna is a music streaming service built so that what a listener pays goes to the artists that listener plays, rather than into a pool shared out by market share.

It is in early access. Listening is free, nothing is charged, and artists join by invitation, one by one.

Where the name comes from

Kobyna comes from kobina, a Lingala word meaning "to dance".

Lingala is spoken in both Congos, along the river they are named after. It is one of the languages of this catalogue, alongside French.

The name is about the simplest thing music does. Someone plays something, and someone moves. Kobyna is being built so that what follows — once there is anything to pay — follows the same line: from the listener, to the artists that listener actually played.

How your listening is counted

A play counts after 30 seconds, once per track per day. Signing in is what lets a play be attributed to you; anything played before you sign in stays anonymous and cannot be credited to anyone.

My Listening, inside the player, shows where your listening went.

Who publishes Kobyna

Kobyna is published by Kobyna Entertainment, a company being formed, founded by Christian Kakesa. The Legal Notice has the publisher's details, and the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy say what you agree to and what is kept about you.