African music streaming service Boomplay and independent label agency Merlin have agreed to an expansion of their licensing agreement.
The news deal will extend the availability of Merlin members’ music catalog to 47 additional countries in Africa.
In 2019, Merlin signed a licensing deal covering 11 countries with Boomplay, which now has over 60 million Monthly Active Users and hosts a catalog of over 65 million tracks.
The platform also claims to house the most extensive catalog of African content globally.
The news follows Boomplay and Universal Music Group (UMG) expanded deal in March to extend licensing of UMG’s global music catalog from 7 to 47 countries across the African continent.
In 2018, UMG became the first major global music company to license music to the service, which now has 50 million monthly active users.
Merlin says that the licensing expansion “emphasizes” its “commitment to drive new value for its members, including access to new audiences across Africa, while offering a richer music experience for Boomplay users”.
One of the first music streaming players in Africa, Boomplay launched in 2015 and surpassed 100 million app downloads on Google Play in December 2020.
Boomplay has regional offices in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon.
It was recently announced that Boomplay’s streams will be used as part of the data that informs the Billboard Charts.
“As our user base and service grows rapidly across the continent, it’s important that we have the right partners to continue on this journey with us, and to grow and support the local music industry.”
Phil Choi, Boomplay
Boomplay’s Director of Content & Strategy, Phil Choi, said: “As our user base and service grows rapidly across the continent, it’s important that we have the right partners to continue on this journey with us, and to grow and support the local music industry.
“As the world leader in independent music rights, we’re delighted that Merlin shares the same vision as us and together with Boomplay’s advantages in the digital music sector and Merlin’s top-quality catalogue of songs, we can look forward to a striving music eco-system for many years to come.
“We are excited to see Boomplay grow their reach and offer their service to new users across Africa.”
Charlie Lexton, Merlin
Charlie Lexton, Merlin’s COO, added: “Through this expanded partnership, Boomplay users from the newly opened territories can now access Merlin members’ extensive catalogue of homegrown and international music across all types of genres and an array of languages.
“We are excited to see Boomplay grow their reach and offer their service to new users across Africa.”
Source: Music Business World Wide
