Virgin Music launches in Africa
Virgin Music Label & Artist Services has launched in Africa. Inspired by the spirit and ethos of the iconic Virgin Records label, it is dedicated to delivering premium and flexible artist and label services to the industry’s most dynamic entrepreneurs and independent talent worldwide.
Virgin Music Label & Artist Services Africa is the latest division of Universal Music Group’s global network to launch. It will focus on supporting the next wave of independent artists talent, labels, influencers and entrepreneurs from the region, to deliver global success for its roster, and further expand the reach of music culture from across the continent.
Virgin Music arrives in Africa under the leadership of Universal Music Africa’s current Director of International Development, Guylaine Clery and Head of A&R Félix Pea, who will serve as co-directors of the new division.
Franck Kacou, Managing Director of Universal Music Africa said, “Our vision for Virgin Music in Africa is based on an observation that African cultural heritage has not yet fully found its place in the digital world and on DSPs globally. Indeed, with some of these services rarely existing in certain territories, this heritage is unequally represented. Our ambition is to make African music, a showcase of all that Africa and its diaspora can offer the world!
“We intend to give new life to forgotten songs, our investigation will go as far as digitising them to make them accessible to as many people as possible, everywhere in the world. The creation of these label services will make it possible to preserve, distribute, structure, and promote the African musical heritage of yesterday, today and tomorrow, whilst also providing global distribution services to Africa’s most exciting artists, labels and entrepreneurs.”
There are already more than 15,000 titles in the Virgin Music Africa catalogue, with more than 50 label partners from 25 countries, including: Kesi Publishing (Panaf), Blue Diamond (Benin), Hope Music Groupe (CMR), Hitlab (Panaf) Hiquest (SNG), Yaye Boye (Fr) and releases from more than 100 of Africa’s leading artists including Youssou Ndour (SNG), Touré Kunda (SNG), Lokua Kanza (DRC), Magic System (CIV), Werrason, Serge Beynaud (CIV), Innos B (DRC), Debordo (CIV), Sagbohan Danialou (Benin), Cabo Snoop (Angola) and Fanicko (Benin) amongst others. It will combine the support for independent African artists and labels, with making historical and often long out of print African music catalogues available digitally for the first time.
Visit Virgin Music to find out more.
