TikTok isn’t the only Chinese-owned app making waves in the international music business right now.
Streaming and download music app Boomplay, which covers multiple regions in Africa, is jointly owned by two large-scale Chinese companies, as part of their Transsnet Music Limited JV.
The first of those two companies is Transsion Holdings, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer, while the second is NetEase, a giant tech company, with an HQ in Guangzhou, which, amongst other assets, majority-owns NetEase Cloud Music.
As part of the announcement of the new deal today (November 19), Boomplay – which is live in markets including Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia – has confirmed that it reaches over 60 million users.
All of which means Boomplay, which claims to be the biggest and fastest-growing music app in Africa, is currently adding around 2m new active users every month – offering them a current catalog of over 10m songs and videos.
Boomplay’s users are a mix of free/ad-funded consumers, and those with a premium subscription, costing the equivalent of around $1.50 per month.
The company reportedly raised $20m earlier this year to fund its expansion across Africa and to help it build it catalog of tracks.
Boomplay’s Director of Content & Strategy, Phil Choi, said: “We are delighted to partner with SME and having their internationally recognised repertoire on board.
“This is a significant step for us in achieving our aim to develop the African music ecosystem and we are excited about the opportunities that this strategic partnership will bring for African artistes and our users.”
“This is a significant step for us in achieving our aim to develop the African music ecosystem.”
Phil Choi, Boomplay
African artists whose catalogs are signed to Sony and will therefore now be available on Boomplay include Nigeria’s Wizkid (pictured), Afrobeats act Davido, and Kenyan artist Redsan.
SME’s catalogue also gives Boomplay listeners access to international Sony stars such as Beyoncé, DJ Khaled, French Montana and Future.
Boomplay’s Head of Marketing for Africa, Tosin Sorinola, said: “Music remains the only universal language, transcending the thoughts, boundaries, philosophies, cultures and preferences of individuals.
“This partnership offers our African stars a stronger opportunity to be heard on the global scene – increasing their reach and exposure.”
“We look forward to bringing Africans together on Boomplay to discover, listen to and enjoy the millions of songs our exceptional Sony Music Entertainment artists have created.”
Sean Watson, Sony Music
Managing Director of Sony Music Entertainment Africa, Sean Watson, said: “SME is delighted about working with Boomplay to deliver some of the greatest music in the world to African music lovers through our newly concluded partnership.
“We look forward to bringing Africans together on Boomplay to discover, listen to and enjoy the millions of songs our exceptional Sony Music Entertainment artists have created.”
Boomplay is currently available on Android, iOS and via browsers. Users can subscribe to daily, weekly and monthly payment plans.
Sony announced changes to its West Africa HQ earlier this year, with General Manager Michael Ugwu departing and Oluwaseun ‘Banko’ Lloyd taking over as Artist and Business Development Manager.
