Sony Music and its subsidiaries (AWAL and The Orchard) have removed their entire music catalog from Boomplay, Africa's leading music streaming platform, due to unpaid royalties dating back to 2021. This development significantly impacts the availability of music from major artists like Davido, Wizkid, Tems, and Lojay on the platform.

Boomplay, which boasts 95 million monthly active users, has established itself as Nigeria's premier music streaming service, offering both free and premium subscription options. The platform had previously secured deals with all three major labels by 2019 and partnered with Merlin in 2021 for independent artist distribution.

The royalty dispute extends beyond Sony Music, with smaller artists also reporting payment issues. Gospel artist Celestine Donkor's husband publicly stated on Facebook that they haven't received royalties for over a year, while also suggesting that Boomplay may be closing its Ghana office.

The platform's business model includes both streaming and paid downloads, with artists receiving territory-specific wholesale rates for each downloaded song. Despite this dual revenue stream, the reported non-payment of royalties since 2021 has led to this significant catalog removal, affecting millions of users across Africa.

Related Articles

Previous Articles