Safaricom Songa, Diamond Platnumz Partnership
SONGA by Safaricom has partnered with top Tanzanian performer Diamond Platnumz for the launch of his latest album: ‘A boy from Tandale’,
“SONGA by Safaricom is the only local music app of its kind offering music streaming, download, playlist creation and a catalogue of over 2 million local and international songs and this makes this an ideal platform for all our artists who are looking for a way to monetize their music, a way to distribute their music in this region,” said Franklin Rano Ocharo, Head of Consumer Services and Products. “By sponsoring the launch of ‘A boy from Tandale’ we are creating a partnership with Diamond Platnumz that will not only give him access to millions of Kenyans but also fulfill our promise to support homegrown music, African talent and music in this region, the promise we made during the launch of SONGA,” he added.
“This album is a tribute to my humble beginnings in Tandale, which is a slum in Tanzania. It is where I was raised, with a lot of challenges, but also where I formed my closest bonds with family and friends who to this day remain my support system. It is the place where amidst all the poverty, I discovered my talent,” said Diamond Platnumz. Grammy Nominated R&B artist Omarion was also present at the launch.
Tanzania based Artist Diamond Platnumz (left) and American based Artist Omarion (right) address journalist during the Safaricom Songa Press conference at Michael Joseph Centre. Diamond is in the country to launch his Album “A BOY FROM TANDALE”
The album will be available on the SONGA platform from 16th March 2018. It features guest appearances from fellow Tanzanian vocalist Vanessa Mdee, Grammy Award winning reggae band Morgan Heritage, American stars Rick Ross, Omarion and Ne-Yo and Nigerian songbird Tiwa Savage, among other African artists.
Local artists whose music is available on the SONGA app include: Sauti Sol, Mercy Masika, Nyashinsky and Eric Wainaina, among others. The expansive catalogue also includes international artists such as Wizkid, Camila Cabello, Usher, Chris Brown, Beyoncé and Davido, and will soon feature even more music following the conclusion of agreements with major international and regional labels and aggregators including Sony Music Entertainment, Africori, Africha, Ngoma and Expedia.
SONGA by Safaricom offers online and offline play, track and full album downloads, playlist creation and an ability to share links with other subscribers. Customers have the freedom to choose a subscription plan that suits them for KES 25/= a day, KES 150/= weekly or KES 499/= monthly. The app can be downloaded by dialing *812.
The launch of SONGA emphasizes Safaricom’s commitment to growing the Kenyan music industry. Safaricom runs the country’s biggest ring back tunes service – popularly known as Skiza – and last year paid out over KES 1.4 billion in revenues to artistes.
