Streaming platform TIDAL has continued its push into Africa with a new partnership with MTN Nigeria offering users free 30-day access to the platform.
The move follows TIDAL’s partnership with MTN to bring the service to Uganda in 2018.
MTN Nigeria Chief Digital Officer Srinivas Rao, said, “MTN has always been supportive of local and upcoming artists. Our partnership with TIDAL is another footprint on how we continue to contribute to the growth of the music industry.”
TIDAL’s move into Nigeria gives it a leg up on one of its biggest competitors, Spotify.
At the time of publication, Spotify is not available in Nigeria or Uganda but can be downloaded in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, and Tunisia.
“This launch taps into a nation with both rising and established performers taking over the entertainment industry, and provides a forum for artists to exchange ideas and foster growth,” Lior Tibon, COO at TIDAL, said of the launch.
But this latest deal with MTN Nigeria is not all TIDAL has been up to.
In addition to recent moves in Africa, Jay-Z’s music streaming service has spent $7 million on tokens (‘SENSO Tokens’) issued by Sensorium Corporation.
These tokens are the in-world currency of an upcoming VR social space called Sensorium Galaxy, set to launch early next year.
The virtual reality world would include concerts, nightclubs, and other social spaces for people to gather.
And while the idea seems ambitious, the success of such virtual events within games such as Fortnite has proven that such events can be successful if implemented correctly.
