Boomplay withdrew Davido and Wizkid’s songs because the royalties were not paid on time

Due to late royalties, music by Afrobeats artists including Davido, Wizkid, Tems, and others with distribution agreements with Sony Music, one of the largest music companies in the world, has been taken down from Boomplay, an audio streaming service.

Sony removed its portfolio from Boomplay on Monday, December 9, according to Billboard, since royalties were not paid on time.

Billboard was informed on Monday by a number of other well-known labels and distributors that they had not recently received royalties from the program. Furthermore, because of delays in obtaining statements and/or payments from these partners, Boomplay’s payments are not included in the monthly payment report published by distributor Symphonic on December 2. reports from billboards.

According to a close source, Music In Africa has also revealed that the removal includes recordings released by AWAL and The Orchard, as well as Afrobeats artists Davido, Wizkid, Tems, and Lojay.

The announcement also comes after it was announced last month that Phil Choi, the CEO of Boomplay, was leaving the firm after six years to join Warner Music Group.

Boomplay, which was founded in 2015, bills itself as the top music streaming service in Africa. It has more than 300 million downloads and license agreements with well-known companies including TikTok, Universal, and Warner.

Boomplay, which operates in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, and Cameroon, has been laying off employees around Africa in recent months in what is believed to be a cost-cutting move.

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the recorded music market in sub-Saharan Africa grew at the fastest rate in both 2023 and 2022. However, streaming platforms in Africa face significant profitability challenges, primarily because of freemium models and low conversion to paid subscriptions.
But Spotify has been gaining traction in the sub-Saharan area, spreading its tentacles in Africa by launching in 40 countries in 2020, including Kenya.

It said in May of this year that it had paid around $14 million in royalties to South African musicians and $17 million to Nigerian artists in 2023.