Sony Music Opens Office in Lagos Nigeria, Said to Be Eying Kenyan Office Next

From Sony Music, to Universal and even Jay Z’s Tidal, Africa’s potential for global contemporary music has captured the eye of all the top players in music globally and they are all looking to cash in.

Earlier this year, Sony Music and Nigerian pop star Davido penned a $1 Million deal which was highly publicized. Now it looks like the company is looking to ride on the momentum of that signing and has now set up their new office in Lagos, Nigeria.

This is now being seen as part of the company’s larger plan to establish its presence across the continent. Sony Music already has a strong presence in South Africa, with offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

And as for the East African region, the company has already a deal in place with Kenyan Reggae artist Redsan. It is also in talks with the Kenyan government to open their East African office in the capital city of Nairobi.

"Expansion in Africa has been part of our strategy for several years," said Adam Granite, Sony's President for Northern and Eastern Europe as well as Africa. "As the region continues to grow, we see significant opportunities to market the incredible local talent in Africa to the rest of the world as well as import our repertoire and exploit it on emerging digital platforms."

Heading the new West African office is Michael Ugwu, who has had experience working with streaming and download platform iROKING, and Freeme Digital, a digital distribution company.

This however is not the first time Sony Music has shown interest in the African market. The company has a history of licencing, promotion and other deals stretching to 2012 when Sony’s RCA Africa label signed on Nigerian star D’Banj. At the time, Managing Director Sean Watson said the signing D’Banj was “a seminal event for us at Sony Music Entertainment Africa”.

In between deals with D’Banj and Davido, Nigerian producer Leriq, whose debut album was released last year, also inked a deal with the company. Sony has also been rumoured to be in the process of signing Ghanaian duo Reggie 'N' Bollie, who made it to the finals of the X-Factor UK reality show last year. (Music In Africa)

"We are really keen to partner with African artists to deliver local, African and global success stories,” said Watson about the new deal. “With over 800 million people living in sub-Saharan Africa, the African continent is a market with huge potential for local artists wanting to expand their horizons."

SOURCE: Music In Africa