Apple Music to launch radio show for Africa

Stephen Simiyu of Uganda’s prize winning entry to the Africa 2016 Photo Competition

Apple Music is about to introduce its first radio show focused on Africa’s burgeoning music scene, ‘Africa Now Radio with Cuppy’.

The latest and greatest sounds from across Africa

This should be quite a popular channel given the strength and vibrancy of music creation in Africa. The weekly one-hour show will feature contemporary and traditional music – so you’ll hear a range spanning Afrobeat, rap, kuduro and more.

“The show represents a journey from West to East and North to South, but importantly a narrative of Africa then to Africa now,” Cuppy said in a statement.

The place holder page for the show is available on Apple Music now, though no shows are available as yet.

“New forms of African popular music fuse traditional and contemporary sensibilities,” the pages states. “Morphing into hybridised sonic fragments that connect Joburg to Nairobo via Lagos and Accra… Expect only the latest and greatest sounds from across the continent,” it explains.

The show should be a bit of a weekly highlight for those who enjoy African music, as it could become a fantastic way for people outside of Africa to hear what’s up and coming now there.

Africa’s rich musical culture

The new show comes as Universal and Warners ramp up their investments in Africa’s music scene.

Speaking at a music industry conference, Cecilia Qvist, global head of markets at Spotify, waxed lyrical about the industry there: “What I am excited about most is Africa. The rich culture that is coming out of Africa… is nothing short of amazing.”

Apple clearly agrees – the new radio show follows extensive work on the part of Apple’s Platoon artist-development subsidiary.

Platoon CEO Denzyl Feigelson recently told Billboard about what his company has been doing in Africa, saying it is “Offering advances, distribution and support to 88 African musicians — and quietly becoming a major player amid an industry wide shift toward establishing a larger footprint on the continent”.

One recent success Feigelson seems to be connected with being music from Victoria Monét.

Up next?

Apple’s African adventures are about to begin.

Beyond music, it’s not at all hard to imagine that Apple Pay could become popular, if Apple ever does introduce the service on the mobile money friendly continent.

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