Streaming service MePlaylist, whose president of global marketing is Mathew Knowles (aka Beyoncé’s father), is aiming to challenge the traditional way African music is pigeonholed in the west.
“There’s a tendency to always put African music and African artists in a bucket, and that bucket is called ‘World Music’. We want to change that perception,” said Knowles, in a panel session for the Midem industry conference that has been published online this morning.
Knowles and fellow execs Olakunle Oladehin and Michael Kay outlined their ambitions for MePlaylist, which has launched with a freemium model that includes a free, ad-supported tier and a premium subscription tier. “We want MePlaylists to be more than just a streaming company. We also want to make an impact with artists. We want to support artists – and local artists,” said Knowles. The full session can be watched here (with free registration).
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