From DSP launches to label expansions to [waves enormous plug] new education initiatives for the industry, there is plenty of exciting activity happening around Africa’s music ecosystem.
There are two more examples to report on this morning. First, Universal Music Group has extended its licensing deal with streaming service Boomplay from seven countries in Africa to 47, with new additions including South Africa, Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Senegal. The two companies have been working together since 2018, when UMG signed its original licensing deal with Boomplay.
There’s also a new figure for the service: “over 50 million monthly active users” according to the press release. That’s fewer than the 75 million users it reported in June 2020, although we suspect (and will check) that this figure may have been registered rather than active users.
Today’s second piece of news concerns distributor Freeme Digital, which is expanding its services for African artists and rightsholders. Freeme+ will include A&R, marketing, sync licensing and publishing services for independent artists, starting with new signings The Cavemen, Basketmouth and Ninety.
Freeme has also worked with tech firm Revelator to build its ‘Kora’ distribution and analytics dashboard, including features for artists to upload music from their phones.
Image by imagephotography / Shutterstock.com
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