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Distribute now your music in Africa on Boomplay for free with MusicDiffusion

 

As a MusicDiffusion member, you can now distribute your music to our new partner Boomplay, the new leading streaming platform in Africa!

 
After being the first and only 360° platform for musicians permitting to distribute its music to Asia market, but also Russia and India market, MusicDiffusion also permits now also to reach the African market with Boomplay. The African music industry has been growing rapidly in the last ten years. It’s even got the fastest growing music market after Latin America. It’s not only African music that’s gaining global popularity, but African people are getting more and more access to the global music market as well.

In this article, you will learn more about the development of the music industry in Africa and why it’s important to distribute your music and artists to Boomplay through MusicDiffusion if you want your music to get into the African music market.

 

 

Why and how the music market in Africa is growing profusely

 
The digital economy of Africa is rapidly growing, due to the fact that more than 30% of all Africans have access to smartphones now. Even though the data costs are still very high compared to other continents, the connectivity is improving and these costs are slowly reducing.

Africa’s biggest streaming and downloading service, Boomplay, said that 70% of its streams is based on music from Africa, instead of music from other continents. It’s no surprise when you look at the globally rising popularity of Afrobeat, Dancehall and some Nigerian musicians, like Wizkid.

Chartmetric found out that 5 of the Top 10 artists on Twitter last year were Nigerian artists with millions of Boomplay streams.

According to a report from PwC and Ovum that investigates the global entertainment and media outlook from 2016 to 2020, the rapid growth of the African music industry comes from three factors: demographics, availability of internet and streaming.

The entertainment and music industry in the 10 youngest markets worldwide is growing three times as fast in spending as in the 10 oldest. This has more likely to do with the age of a country’s population. Since 6 in every 10 Africans are younger than 24 years, it’s the youngest population among all continents.

It’s obvious there’s a lot of potential here, especially when you look at the revenue it’s already brought in the last couple of years. The IFPI global report showed an overall global increase in revenue for the record business sector of 8.2% over 2019. But in EMEA it was about 15%. This makes Africa the world’s second highest growing record business market after Latin America.

And that’s even without the support of DSPs (Digital Service Providers like Boomplay and Spotify) being present in all these markets. According to their own study, PwC estimates that DSPs in Africa would approximately generate $50.8 million in 2022.

Obstacles to overcome to unleash the potential of streaming services in Africa

 
Even though the numbers of streams are rising, there are a few obstacles to overcome to unlock the greatest amount of potential. It’s mainly the high data costs and music piracy are still big issues.

The high data costs are most expensive in South Africa. This could be one of the reasons why the global DSPs are not available in every country. For a few months back, Apple Music was only available in 16 or 17 countries in the north of the Sahara. Spotify announced to expand its service in 80 countries, including 40 African countries. Before, it was only available in 5 countries.

Piracy is a big problem in Africa as well. Governments in Africa have been trying to solve the piracy sites problem, like the Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, who signed a copyright bill. But there still have a long way to go. There is still a high level of poverty around. As long as it’s easy to get music for free, choosing to use a paid streaming service is not the most popular.

 

Boomplay, the biggest streaming service of Africa

 

Boomplay – Facebook


 
As mentioned before, the biggest streaming and download service in Africa is Boomplay Music (formerly known as ‘Boom Player’). Here are a few facts about Boomplay:

  • The service was first launched in Nigeria in 2015, and in June 2020, they already had over 75 million users.
  • According to Boomplay’s head of marketing, Tosin Sorinola, it’s the number 1 app in the Play Store across major African countries, and a social media fanbase of at least 1.5 million.
  • Boomplay offers a feature that makes it easier for users to avoid the high data costs: users can also download songs to their device – with WiFi – to play them without an internet connection. This is a very important feature, since a lot of people in Africa have to travel for hours through landscapes with little to no internet. And of course, there’s no data connection there.
  • Boomplay also offers the same recommendation and personalization style that made Spotify so big: curated playlists to discover new music, based on users’ preferences, favourite music and moods.
  • But Boomplay offers more than just music: the Buzz section also offers news about entertainment (and music), sports and lifestyle news.
  • Boomplay has even got its own award show. Next to that, Boomplay lets users earn Rewards Points when they play music and engage in the Boomplay Community. These Rewards Points can be exchanged for Boomplay subscriptions, airtime, gadgets, coupons and more.

Compared to Spotify and TikTok, Boomplay is globally seen still a small player. But it’s not focused on Western-focused demographics, like the other ones. In Africa, Boomplay is winning, so Boomplay is the right place to be to tap into the African music market potential.

It’s growing and it’s receptive to Western music. Wait until the data costs are declining more, the piracy has been cracked down, more people gain access to the internet and own a smartphone.

But Boomplay is not only planning to operate in Africa alone. It wants to expand to other markets, without directly competing with Spotify or Apple Music: Boomplay wants to target the African populations all over the world, with the music on their platform that’s already a perfect fit for African consumers.

Want to get your music on Boomplay too?

 
Boomplay is one of the channels where you can distribute your music in your MusicDiffusion distribution dashboard. Especially when it’s Afropop or Gospel, because there’s a high demand for it in Africa.

And if you want to give your artists advice in how to grow a fanbase on the African continent, collaboration with popular artists on Boomplay might be a good shot to engage with millions of Boomplay users. You certainly shouldn’t wait to jump on this ship called Boomplay, because before you know it, others will!
 

>> Start to distribute your music on Boomplay now <<

 


MusicDiffusion Distribution

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New channels available for your music distribution with MusicDiffusion: Triller, Musixmatch and more!

 

Hello MusicDiffusion community 👋

We are happy to announce that thanks to an extension of our agreement with 7Digital, your distribution game just got better with MusicDiffusion and five new channels!

If you already distribute to 7Digital through MusicDiffusion, your content is now available in a whole new set of channels, which translates to higher revenue possibilities and exciting new opportunities to engage with wider audiences. Check them out!

Ride the wave of social streaming thanks to Triller.

Become part of the families engaged in shared music experiences through the Electric Jukebox/ROXi.

Help bars, restaurants, stores, gyms, and many other businesses around the world create welcoming atmospheres thanks to your music, using Soundtrack Your Brand.

Tap into the potential of adding lyrics to the digital music experience with Musixmatch.

Explore Trebel innovative idea to delivering free, licensed, downloadable music to audiences that are not subscribed to streaming services.

And last but not least, Wir lieben Jazz! as jazzed, the world’s first dedicated audio-visual streaming service for jazz and jazz-influenced music, is now expanding to the German market.

Again, all those new channels and services are included by distributing your music to 7Digital from your MusicDiffusion distribution account! If you already did so, nothing more to do and like always this is absolutely free of charge! 

 


MusicDiffusion Creative Tools

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New: Showcase your creativity on Instagram Reels with MusicDiffusion

MusicDiffusion is excited to announce the launch of Instagram Reels, a new tool for creating and discovering short Instagram videos to capture the attention of your audience!

Instagram is already one of the essential platforms for independent artists, since the network has given them the opportunity to express themselves and connect with their fans for several years. Whether through its partnership with MusicDiffusion which allows fans to access your music from the app or through the possibility that it offers to add the lyrics of their favorite songs to their stories to send a message, Instagram is undoubtedly one of the spearheads of artists marketing strategy.

With the launch of Instagram Reels, the network gives you yet another good reason to use it to connect with your audience.

Instagram Reels is a new feature that allows users to edit 15-second video clips with background music. Once created, the Reel can be shared on the Explore tab to reach new fans and introduce music to all platform users. In addition to giving you a new way to encourage your fans to use your titles in their videos, this entertaining tool is guaranteed to have a great time.

 

 

FUNCTIONALITIES

When creating your first Reel, take a look at the options available to you to customize your videos however you want.

  • Audio content: Choose your music! If you’ve delivered to Facebook with MusicDiffusion, your releases should already be available for selection on Instagram.
  • Reading speed: Fast or slow? It’s up to you! This is a fantastic tool for highlighting the highlights of certain tracks or for creating a video that follows the beat of your song.
  • Augmented reality effects: In addition to stickers and GIFs, this tool gives you the option of incorporating augmented reality (AR) effects into your videos. Of course, you can always choose them from a constantly updated catalog of graphics.
  • Timer: Trigger the start of recording remotely and take the opportunity to imagine different content.
  • Multi-clip pane: Use this tool to start recording your sequence and then stop it to integrate it into your video, which should not exceed 15 seconds in total.
  • Ghost Tool: Perfect for customizing the timeline or getting smooth transitions, this option lets you see the last frame you recorded while you add a new section to your video.

HOW TO SHARE YOUR REELS

The Share on Reels option allows you to only share your Reels in the Explore tab of your Instagram. So instead of appearing in the news feed of your subscribers, your creation will be highlighted on this tab, allowing you to reach a wide audience. Of course, your Reels will still appear on your Instagram profile, but in a different space. If you want to share your creations both on your Reels and on your News Feed, that is also possible!

TRENDS

Hashtags have always been at the heart of Instagram. Using a hashtag to follow content related to certain topics or trends is one of the go-to methods for discovering new posts, and Reels allows artists to explore this functionality further. In addition to being able to contribute to trending topics, artists can now create their own to inspire users. Artists and fans alike can add trending tracks/audios and hashtags to their Reels to get the maximum audience.

WHAT TO SHARE

Like every time a new feature is available on a social network or on a platform, artists should start by playing around with it to discover it. Think about what your fans particularly like. Find out how you express yourself best. Ask yourself how Reels can help you strengthen your brand and digital strategy.

The most successful music videos are surprising, funny, and often just right. You will need to post content that will make your fans want to watch it multiple times, share it, and create their own music video. You are the one who decides what kind of content you want to post, but like any other network, its ultimately the most inspiring, relevant and user-friendly posts that work best.

SHOW YOUR CREATIONS

We don’t need to give you a lesson on this, but there are some tips that might help you create a relevant Reel. Here is the procedure to follow in our opinion:

1) PREPARE IT

Think about the message you want to share. Do you just want to ask your fans how their day is going, or would you like to tackle something deeper, more thoughtful, that has been going through your mind for some time? A bit of both? Either way, make sure you show yourself the best you can to your fans.

2) SKIN IT

You only have 15 seconds to get your idea across. If you want to build a Reel that incorporates different settings, locations, characters, or angles, take the time to prepare each sequence before. The advantage of this preparation is that it will allow you to use the beat that you want and coordinate your clip with it. And believe us, this organization will save you time.

3) FILM IT

Just like with videos or Insta Directs that you save on your smartphone, there are some tips that will give your Reel a special touch.

  • Light: Make sure you are not filming under a direct light source and try to leave it behind the lens.
  • Color / Tones: Use different lighting effects to set the mood of your clip.
  • Get the attention of your fans: It’s the very first seconds of your Reel that should hook your fans.
  • Use the tools at your disposal: Instagram Reels offers you a whole catalog of effects and tools with which to create your clip (see above); make sure you use it to entertain your audience.
  • Have fun: Remember that this feature is all about giving you a good time. If your fans see you having fun with your music, they’ll want to do the same.

4) PUBLISH IT

As we already mentioned, you will be able to publish your clip to your news feed or to your Reels tab (in which case it will be visible in the Discover area of other users). But, like everything in your career, it’s important to build a consistent, long-term strategy.

Instagram Reels is a new feature that lends itself perfectly to the creative expression game. And finally, isn’t this one of the main strengths of artists? This new tool will allow you to create new content to share with your fans to make you known, to communicate with them or to encourage them to integrate your tracks into their Reels. Above all, don’t forget to keep up to date with the latest trends or fashionable challenges on social media. Who knows, soon it might be your song that will make the buzz on Reels.


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Bye bye Google Play Music – Welcome YouTube Music

 

Google has announced that its plans of merging Google Play Music with Youtube Music will completely be fulfilled by December 2020.

Last May, the technological giant revealed it was gradually shutting down Google Play Music, and replacing it with YouTube Music during the last quarter of the year.
Since the announcement, Google has been leaking some details and deadlines about Google Play Music’s definitive closure, which is going to be on December 31st.

The company is offering users switching to YouTube Music before the year ends, the option to join the platform without losing the content uploaded on their profiles in Google Play Music.
The ultimate goal is to focus all the energies on a single subscription service where creators and songwriters can upload and share their favorite tracks with fans, while music enthusiasts can discover the latest hits.

 

When and how to move playlists and libraries from Google Play Music to YouTube Music?

To make the switch smoother, Google has provided a set of guidelines on how to safely and effortlessly transfer content to YouTube Music before Google Play Music disappears forever in December.

A transfer feature has been added to YouTube Music app, so Google Play Music users can easily export their music libraries, personal playlists and preferences.

They can also migrate other data such as uploads, stations, likes and dislikes as well as billing information.

Alternatively, data can be downloaded with Google Takeout.

In spite Google Play Music platform will be available until the end of 2020, from October, users won’t be able to stream music from the app.

Uploads and downloads, pre-orders or purchases were unavailable since August.

Switching from Google Play Music to YouTube Music: Key information for artists and record labels

What about record labels and artists who used Google Play Music and are delivering their artists’ content to this DSP through third parties such as MusicDiffusion?

If you are a MusicDiffusion member and distributing to Google Play Music, your content will also be sent to YouTube Music until Google Play service is completely killed off in December.

You are more than welcome to get in touch with MusicDiffusion’s team if you have any queries regarding these changes.

YouTube Music unveils new features to appeal Google Play Music users

Google has also confirmed a series of enhancements in YouTube Music to attract the biggest possible number of Google Play Music users and encourage them to move their content to the platform.

Some new add-ons are imported from Google Play Music, while others have been specifically designed to present a better offer for switching users.

Amongst the new features added to YouTube Music, there is the option to create more extensive playlists, an increase in the number of songs that can be uploaded to libraries as well as the brand-new Explore Tab where users can discover music considering new releases, genres and moods.

Keep an eye on our blog to find the latest news and updates about music streaming apps like YouTube Music.

Written by GRAZIA CARLONE


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Spotify celebrates 100 million Premium subscribers

Daniel Ek’s company shares first quarter 2019 financial performance and they have millions of reasons to paint the town ‘green’.
When announcing 2019 first quarter results, Spotify confirmed a very important milestone: 100 million Premium subscribers.

The Swedish company has accomplished some important challenges during the first months of the year. As described in this report, overall monthly active users (MAUs) grew 26% year to year, up to 217 million.

Spotify is present in 79 countries, being Europe and North America the leading regions. The last achievement stands in India, where the streaming service launched in February. Since then, it has reached 2 million users in the country, competing with local devices like Gaana or JioSaavn.

As for Spotify Premium users, they have experienced a 32% shift in a year. The company explains this growth in the promotions they have made in the US and Canada, as well as the expansion in Google Home Mini.

Nowadays, Spotify is the most powerful music streaming in the world, at least in terms of users. Apple Music base is estimated to be 50 million MAUs, though it overtakes Spotify in the US in terms of Premium subscribers.

 

Article by P. FERNANDEZ


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How to distribute music online? Everything you need to know!

 

Want to know everything about how to distribute your music online? We will briefly introduce you to this industry and the main streaming and download platforms. We’ll also discuss about basics your should know concerning your future online music release, to be able to focus on the best strategy for success.

Some informations on the sector:

 

Thanks to this table from Information is beautiful, here we have the latest statistics related to the online music industry. For example, this graph shows the number of subscribers per platform, the average revenue per artist per track, the proportion of free subscribers, and much more.

You said streaming?

The novelty of streaming quickly put it under the fire of critics and it was thus accused of not paying enough artists. But, streaming services have become one of the primary source of revenue for them.

Streaming plays on a completely different model of the download. Streaming generates small, regular revenue over a long period of time, instead of giving the artist a big deal at one time, as it was generally the case with paid downloads or the sale of physical albums in commerce. Regarding revenue, streaming has the advantage of allowing a small cash flow, which is always better than nothing, but it also guarantees the artist direct access to his audience. It’s an easy way to conquer and retain new fans, to become known and to be offered more opportunities for concerts. Since the 1990s, music industry revenues have been declining, but specialists predict that the trend could be reversed very soon, thanks to streaming!

 

What are the best platforms to stream my music?

Some platforms are now safe in terms of sales and audiences. You will find below a small overview of these essential.

 

Streaming services

 

Apple Music

At last, Apple has started streaming and now concentrates all its efforts on Apple Music while maintaining its download service on iTunes. With over 36 million users, the average revenue per artist per track is now about $ 0.0074.

Spotify

With over 157 million active users and 71 million subscribers, Spotify is a showcase of choice for your songs. The $ 8 billion paid to rights holders, with an average revenue per artist and per view of about $ 0.0044, is a significant source for your turnover.

Deezer

Deezer has 16 million users in 2018 and is available in 180 countries around the world. In comparison, Spotify is only operational in 65 countries. Deezer is therefore the most international music streaming platform.

YouTube

With 1 billion users, YouTube is the champion of online music, especially among the youngest. You can subscribe to Youtube’s Content ID to increase your revenue, especially if you optimize your channel. The platform has also implemented a new streaming system called YouTube Music, available since May 22, 2018.

Napster

Napster was thought dead and buried, and yet the platform now has 5 million users and pays artists 0.0190 dollars per track listened to.

Tidal

Jay-Z’s streaming platform has 4 million users, but faces challenges and its future looks uncertain. It is however the platform offering the best remuneration to artists, with an average of 0.0125 dollars per track listened to.

 

 

Download Platforms

 

iTunes

Nearly 2/3 of the music downloads are made via the iTunes store, which makes it the champion of the sector. Selling your music on this platform is therefore an essential objective to achieve.

Google Play

Available in 58 countries and downloaded 22 million times a year, Google Play has become the reference application for downloading music on smartphones.

Beatport

The world of electronic music swears by it ! Beatport music files are available in high definition, with no loss of quality when downloading. This highly valued feature can help you increase your income.

Amazon MP3

Amazon is in a strong position. The net giant has indeed 20 million registered users (2018) who are at your fingertips with your music.

 

What do I need to distribute my music?

10 minutes and a few simple steps are enough to put your music online with our MusicDiffusion service. For that, three elements must hold all your attention.

 

Your audio files

You want your music to be of the highest quality on all platforms, of course. To do this, make sure you have a .WAV file, in 16 or 24 bits, and in 44.1 kHz.

The album or single cover

It’s a creative part both playful and essential! Choosing or create a visual to represent your music is crucial. Opting for a unique image that truly matches your style can make a huge difference! The criteria to be respected are:
– the format: a JPEG file with a resolution of 3000 x 3000 pixels;
– identifiers: the name of the artist and the title of the single or album must be present on the cover;
– the content: no nudity or violent act.

Metadata information like ISRC and barcodes

For all your songs, you’ll need to enter metadata such as artist name, song title, contributor name, and ISRC codes (unique worldwide codes that allow you to identify and to follow your music). In addition to this, a unique UPC / EAN code will be generated to ensure the output of your songs. If you do not have ISRC code or UPC/EAN, MusicDiffusion provides them for free when you distribute your music with us.

 

What is your digital release strategy?

Preparing your publishing strategy is especially important. Do you want to broadcast the whole album at once? Or do you prefer to play on a waiting effect by dropping out two or three singles before the official release of your album? Do you want to start with an EP that you can then present to interested labels ?

Once you have decided what type of release you want, carefully choose your release date to make sure you have enough time to promote your songs. In general, the best days for a release are Friday and Tuesday. We also recommend scheduling your release date at least four weeks in advance. You will have enough time to develop your promotional campaign.
 


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Over 100 million people pay now for music streaming services

One of the more deflating facts about the size of the global music streaming business has been banished to history.

Across the past half-decade, the total number of people paying to subscribe to audio music services has trailed behind those shelling out for just one TV and movie service – Netflix.

At the end of 2015, for example, global recorded music body the IFPI celebrated the fact that an estimated 68 million people were now paying for the likes of Spotify and Apple Music (which launched in June that year).

Netflix, though, told its investors that, at the same juncture, it boasted just under 71 million.

But last year, despite success at Netflix with the likes of science fiction series Stranger Things (pictured), the music business finally came out on top.

According to a recent report from the much-respected Midia, there were 100.4 million people paying for music streaming subscriptions at the end of 2016.

The company’s Mark Mulligan estimates that around 43 million of these were subscribing to Spotify, with 20.9 million signed up to Apple Music, 6.9 million to Deezer, 4.5 million to Napster and just 1 million to TIDAL.

The rest of the 100.4 million subs were made up of other services, suggest Midia’s numbers.

This total 100.4 million subscription base represented a 48% year-on-year rise on 2015’s IFPI number (68 million).

Read the original article on Music Business Worldwide. Copyright 2017.

 


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Calculate streaming royalties from Spotify, Apple Music and more

 

Ever wondered how many royalties your music streams are earning?

Well now you can find out, with this simple and easy to use earnings calculator.
Streaming stores included are iTunes, Spotify, Deezer, Tidal, Googleplay, Pandora, Napster, Amazon, & Groove Music.

 


 


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