Following the licensing deal between Warner Music Group & Africa’s streaming service, Boomplay and the news of Mavin Records securing a multi-million dollar investment from Kupanda Holdings, comes another milestone investment in the form of a deal between Warner Music Group and Chocolate City aimed at projecting African music on a global scale.
This liaison will see artistes signed to Chocolate City be given a global push, which in WMG’s words will “dramatically grow the reach of African artistes around the world and will create new opportunities for global superstars in the region.”
Going by the terms of the deal, music from Chocolate City will join Warner Music’s repertoire and they will receive support in the form of distribution and artiste services via ADA – Warner’s Independent label services division.
Chocolate City is home to the likes of , MI Abaga, Dice Alies, Ruby Gyang and promising new acts Blaqbonez, Ckay and Street Billionaire. Chocolate City also boasts of a catalog which includes Brymo, Ice Prince and Jesse Jags.
WMG will financially invest in Chocolate City to help achieve it’s mission of signing and developing the best local talent in the Nigerian soundscape.
Chocolate City is led by co-founders Audu Maikori and Paul Okeugo.
Speaking on the deal, co-founder Audu Maikori says:
At Chocolate City, we have always been passionate about discovering and developing the best talent across Africa and giving them a platform for global growth.
“The partnership with Warner Music Group is unique in the sense that our clients get the best of both worlds – curated and bespoke services by a highly experienced team across Africa and a dedicated global team to further push their music and their brands.”
Chocolate City co-founder, Paul Okeugo added:
Our music is truly global and it has long been our vision to create an ecosystem through which the boundless talent in our region can be experienced across the globe – this ground breaking partnership with WMG provides both the access, and capacity to achieve this objective. We are enthusiastic about the opportunities this partnership presents.”
Alfonso Perez Soto, EVP, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Warner Music, also added:
The music scene in Nigeria is so rich and diverse that it’s important that we develop bespoke entrepreneurial strategies.
At the same time, we’ll keep in mind the lessons learned from other emerging markets, for instance Latin America where we successfully broke local artists globally.
We have great affinity with Chocolate City’s creative and ambitious approach and we’re excited about Warner’s role in bringing to life their vision of taking their music worldwide.