Musical richness, a young population, high mobile penetration rates, and a proliferation of initiatives to democratize internet access are all opportunities for the development of music streaming on the continent.
Local players are multiplying, particularly in the English-speaking part of the continent, which is a real hotbed of initiatives in this field, with the support of telecom operators. In the French-speaking part of the continent, development is still slow despite real potential. According to DATAXIS, which has just published a prospective study on the evolution of music streaming revenues in Africa, these are expected to more than triple in five years, from $92.9 million in 2021 to $314.6 million in 2026.
Boomplay, a music streaming platform owned by the Chinese company Transsnet Music Limited, is one of the market leaders. In 2019, the platform had more than 46 million users spread across Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, and Cameroon.
But since 2019, Dele Kadiri, CEO of the platform, has been showing ambitions to expand in French-speaking Africa to grow its business and attract new listeners. This has now been achieved, as Boomplay has announced the opening of its first offices in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
"This physical presence represents Boomplay's mission to promote local talent by providing them with a platform and resources both inside and outside the service, enabling them to reach a wider audience of music lovers across the continent," said Tosin Sorinola, Director of Artist and Media Relations at Boomplay.
With more than 70 million active users per month, 80 million songs, and thousands of playlists accessible through its service, Boomplay aims to support the Ivorian music ecosystem.
Boomplay has partnered with Universal Music Group and Warner Music, allowing the platform to distribute the catalogs of both major labels in its markets.