The free public tool invites fans and the music industry to check their favourite artists and bring receipts to the argument
28 September 2026 – Roster today officially launches Star Power, a free public tool that puts streaming and social data behind one of music’s favourite arguments: who is the bigger artist? Created by music executive and Roster founder and CEO Thabiso Khati, Star Power is open to everyone, with no subscription or sign-up required.
Tyla or Ayra Starr? An established star or the artist everyone is suddenly talking about? Star Power invites fans, artists and music professionals to check the numbers behind the names, share their results and put their opinions to the test.
“Fans already debate music the way they debate sport. Who is bigger? Who has the stronger following? Who is getting attention beyond their home country?” says Khati. “In sport, people bring statistics into those conversations all the time. We want music fans to have that same opportunity. Pick your artist, check the numbers and bring your receipts. The argument gets a lot more interesting when everyone has something to put on the table.”
Users search for an artist to explore a Star Power score out of 100 and a five-star rating, alongside available streaming and social figures. Results include global and regional views, leading listener markets and cities, and platform-specific song rankings where data is available. Shareable cards let users take the results back to their timelines and group chats.
Roster is committed to making Star Power as accurate as possible and being clear about what the numbers represent. Results draw on available public data, with sources identified and inaccessible figures marked as unavailable rather than zero. Scores are snapshots of measurable public reach and engagement; they can change as the underlying data changes. They are not a judgement of artistic quality.
For Khati, the launch continues a career spent backing new possibilities for South African music.
“From day one in this business, I have always looked beyond what is happening now. I have asked what we could do differently that would ultimately benefit the music and the artists. That instinct was there in the 1990s, when I was a young intern at a major record label. I used my stipend to build my own label, the first independent hip hop label in South Africa, while much of the record business was still reluctant to back the genre.
“It was there when we helped build Gallo into a home for South African hip hop, breaking artists such as Skwatta Kamp, ProKid, Mr Selwyn and 985. It was there when K.O and I put our own money on the table to build Cashtime Life, and when we took that movement into clothing that people wore in the streets. We believed in what we were building enough to take the risk.
“Now I am taking that instinct into technology. I know what it takes to build an artist’s career, and I know how much harder that work becomes when useful information and the right tools are out of reach. With Roster, I want to put more of that power into people’s hands. Star Power is an invitation for everyone to come in, have fun and see what we are building.”
Star Power launches publicly as Roster prepares for the broader public launch of its end-to-end music business operating system. The professional platform is built for artists, managers, labels and booking agents, bringing releases, rights, royalties, bookings and fan relationships together in one place.
“Star Power gives people a glimpse of what Roster can do with data: bring information together, make it understandable and give people something useful to work with,” Khati adds. “The fans can enjoy the debate. For artists and their teams, the bigger ambition is to help them understand and run the business behind the music.”
Star Power is available now at rosterapp.ai/star-power. Search your favourite artist, check the artist you keep arguing about, and share what you find.
Roster. We Power the Stars.
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