Original Story Published by: Carlos Ncube for Music in Africa
(Above) Spotify Middle East and Africa head Claudius Boller during the official launch of the streaming service in Johannesburg.
Spotify made its official African debut with the launch of the company’s South Africa division during a press conference that highlighted the streaming service’s benefits for both listeners and artists at Emoyeni Estate in Parktown, Johannesburg, on Tuesday.
The music streaming service, which boasts millions of active users, went live in South Africa on Monday.
“One thing that is special and that we like in South Africa is that artists will be given access to 159 million customers,” Spotify Europe, Middle East and Africa managing director Michael Krause said.
“We hope that more South African artist will have great exposure outside South Africa. We also want to make it possible that more artists live off their work due to our service.”
Spotify South Africa also boasts localised content that allows users to access a catalogue of their favourite local artists on all devices.
Artists, labels and aggregators that use the Spotify for Artists service will have access to a dashboard that allows them to view their music’s performance and listener demographics.
On the receiving end, customers will be able to opt for the service’s Free or Premium tiers. The company’s Middle East and Africa head Claudius Boller said the Free service was made possible with the help of ads while the Premium option was being sold at R59.99 ($5) per month. This is considerably cheaper than the $9.99 offered to US subscribers.
To read the full article, visit Music in Africa.
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