Ghana-based music distribution and music rights management platform Highvibes partnered with Downtown Holdings-owned Songtrust to power its music publishing administration service.
The partnership will allow songwriters in Africa who distribute music through Highvibes to collect publishing royalties in both Africa and Songtrust’s entire global royalty collection network which exceeds more than 215 countries and territories.
Songtrust, which experienced a record year in 2019, represents more than 300,000 songwriters around the world and more than 2 million songs.
This news follows Downtown Music Holdings expansion into Africa earlier this year with the acquisition of South Africa-based Sheer Music Publishing.
Highvibes, which was founded in 2019, claims to have distributed more than 1 million songs from over 100,000 artists who live across 32 countries.
The company makes money through retaining 10% of royalties generated by artists and songwriters who use its platform.
The company reports to have conducted a music publishing survey at one of the biggest showcasing and networking events in Africa, Music In Africa Conference for Collaboration in November 2019, which found that 95% of songwriters, producers, and creators in Africa have been unpublished since 2018.
The company’s music publishing offering now powered by Songtrust enables them to offer global royalty collection to these creators and not leave money on the table.
According to CISAC, music collections in Africa have grown more than 35% over the past five years, only second to USA/Canada which had a 65.2% growth rate over the same period.
As Africa rapidly digitizes over the next ten years, and its digital rights infrastructure begins to match that of other continents, music industry experts in Africa and around the world expect to see a quick and continued increase in music royalty collections.
“Africa is the largest market yet to be tapped into, with an immediate need for stabilization and structuring of digital music distribution across Africa, especially when it comes to publishing administration.”
Gbolahan Mathias, Highvibes
“Africa is the largest market yet to be tapped into, with an immediate need for stabilization and structuring of digital music distribution across Africa, especially when it comes to publishing administration,” said Highvibes Founder and CEO, Gbolahan Mathias.
“Our partnership with Songtrust provides us the ability to publish countless African music rights holders for years to come, which has been estimated to exceed more than one million by 2030.”
“Songtrust’s mission is to build a more equitable music ecosystem, and global partnerships like this are another step in the right direction.”
Mandy Aubry, Songtrust
“It’s inspiring to see how Highvibes has devoted itself to helping and educating songwriters, artists, and producers across Africa on the importance of protecting their intellectual property, and appreciating its financial value,” said Mandy Aubry, Songtrust’s Director of Business Development for EMEA and APAC, who led the partnership.
“Songtrust’s mission is to build a more equitable music ecosystem, and global partnerships like this are another step in the right direction.”Music Business Worldwide