Mdundo.com, a Nairobi-based music streaming and download platform, has recorded 31 million active users across Africa in the first quarter of 2022, representing a 49% growth compared with the previous quarter.
Mdundo was founded in 2012 and has the past 5 years grown to one of Africa’s leading music services primarily from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana and Nigeria. The company works with musicians across Africa and has signed a licensing deal with Warner Music Group. The aim is to provide music lovers easy and affordable access to music.
Mdundo’s Head of Brand Partnerships Ms. Rachel Karanu said that the growth was attributed to the rise in demand for easily accessible music among the youthful population, the growing mobile phone usage and strategic partnerships with leading African telecommunications companies.
“With this growth, we are on track to reach our goal of 18 million monthly active users which solidifies our sustained trajectory. We have invested in research and innovation to seek new ways to engage with a dynamic audience,” said Ms. Karanu.
Ms. Karanu added that the strategic partnerships with leading telcos in Africa, such as MTN, Vodacom and Airtel, continued to offer Mdundo unique platforms to reach our target audience through its tailor-made solutions.
Kenya’s user base grew by 46% to 5.7 million users, with Tanzania growing by 10% to 3.9 million quarterly users. Nigeria and South Africa registered the biggest quarter on quarter growth, recording 8.3 million and 2.2 million users, representing 92% and 80% growth respectively. There was also significant growth recorded in South Sudan, Burundi, Congo, Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire, where Mdundo expanded to in 2020.
Mdundo’s advertising partnership footprint has also grown as the brand collaborates with leading local and global brands across the continent including Standard Chartered Bank, East Africa Breweries Limited, Airtel, Zenith Bank and 10Bet Africa among others.
Apart from offering leading music from around the globe, Mdundo also serves DJ mixes available for free download on the platform. The platform is currently running competitions featuring local DJs in Tanzania and Nigeria. “We are looking at putting more focus on local talent in the next quarter, while investing heavily on our customers’ experience as they continue to access music affordably. We envision partnering with equal minded digital advertising partners to reach more Africans. As always, we will continue contributing structure, legality, and income to the music sector,” added Ms. Karanu
Besides Mdundo, there’s a seemingly ever-growing number of streaming music services available, for instance ,Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, and in Africa there companies like Simfy Africa from South Africa,Spinlet in Nigeria and Tigo fromTanzania among others..