By Ahmed Rahma
A deal to allow the streaming of songs from the stables of Universal Music Group (UMG) in more African countries on the Boomplay platform has been signed.
Before the agreement, Boomplay had the licence to stream the UMG global music catalogue in just seven African nations, but with the latest development, 40 more countries have been added.
It was gathered that the agreement between both parties benefit African musicians and talent and expand the listening experience for Boomplay users across Africa.
Boomplay’s catalogue currently stands at more than 50 million tracks and it boasts the largest repertoire of local African content globally, with 50 million monthly active users (MAU).
“Since our original deal with UMG, the African music industry has seen exponential growth and made huge strides towards being the next powerhouse that it should be.
“We’re excited to continue partnering with the UMG team to help promote their African and international artists by bringing their catalogue to even more regions across Africa,” the Director of Content and Strategy at Boomplay, Mr Phil Choi, said of the deal.
Also commenting of the agreement, the Managing Director of Universal Music Africa, Mr Franck Kacou, who also leads UMG’s activity across French-speaking Africa, stated that, “We are excited for our artists and labels to be available now to music fans across these 25 French speaking countries, but also to reach audiences across the rest of the continent.”
“Africa is rich with artistic talent and musical culture and continues to inspire millions of Africans for whom music is an essential part of their daily lives.
“Working alongside Boomplay, we will help introduce these talents to new audiences, as the appetite for music continues to grow throughout these countries,” he added.
Business Post reports that with this deal, Boomplay users will now have access to UMG’s extensive catalogue of both local and global recording artistes and labels including Tiwa Savage (Nigeria), Nasty C (SA), Mi Casa (SA), Sauti Sol (Kenya), Cassper Nyovest (SA), Toofan (Togo), Tekno (Nigeria), Suspect 95 (Côte d’Ivoire), Brenda Fassie (SA), Tenor (Cameroon), Black Coffee (SA), Dena Mwana (DRC), Singuila (DRC), Locko (Cameroon), Hugh Masekela (SA), Charlotte Dipanda (Cameroon), Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania), Alpha P (Nigeria), Tomi Owo (Nigeria), Cysoul (Cameroon), Major League Djz (SA), Fior De Bior (Côte d’Ivoire), Larry Gaaga (Nigeria), Prince Kaybee (SA) alongside international artists from the world’s largest music catalog including: Da Baby, Drake, Lil Baby, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Stevie Wonder, Billie Eilish, Booba, Dadju, Tasha Cobbs, Niska, Lionel Richie, Rihanna, Motown’s Catalog and Bob Marley.
Recall that in 2018, UMG became the first major global music company to license music to Boomplay, which has been at the forefront of the music streaming market since 2015.
