The Universal Music Group which is a brand under the Vivendi Group appears to be bolstering up it’s concentration and mining of the huge creative talent on the African continent.
Vivendi it might interest you to know is a French media conglomerate headquartered in Paris and is the owner of other entertainment brands such as Groupe Canal+ and Dailymotion with footprints across music, television, film, video games, book publishing, tickets and video hosting services.
The group has for a number of years now been involved through its South African office in promoting several of Africa’s leading musical talents.
The Universal Music Group has been involved in a broad array of businesses in the entertainment industry which includes recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries.
As part of UMG’s strategy, the company is helping African talent reach new audiences internationally.
In 2018, UMG became the first major label to license its catalog to Boomplay, Africa’s largest local streaming platform. Last year, UMG released several acclaimed albums by African artists globally. These includes:
Celia from Nigerian Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage (released in partnership with Motown Records U.S.)
Zulu Man With Some Power by South African rapper Nasty C (released in partnership with Def Jam Recordings in the U.S., Island Records U.K. and other Universal labels around the world)
Midnight Train from Kenya’s Sauti Sol and
Old Romance which is Nigeria’s singer/producer Teckno’s debut album. Teckno is signed to Universal Music Nigeria in partnership with Island Records in the U.K. and U.S.
