International Companies Are Taking Note of Africa's Music, Artists

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International media and music companies want to sell products from Africa's music market.

African music is increasingly popular on the internet and on smartphones in places far outside of Africa.

Companies are noticing a worldwide interest in African music. The company Universal Music Group launched Virgin¹ Music Africa Label & Artist Services in June. It aims to support independent African music recording² companies, often called labels, and artists.

The service will digitize music catalogues, or collections of songs coming from the same owner, that are no longer available to buyers. The company aims to expand into the growing market for African sounds.

The interest from international companies is growing as African artists become the main performers at international music events like festivals and concerts. Festivals include Afro Nation in Portugal and Africolor in France. African musical forms such as Afrobeat, Rhumba, and Amapiano are topping popular music lists, known as charts.

Franck-Alcide Kacou is managing director of Universal Music Africa and the new Virgin Music Africa Label. He said it has over 15,000 music titles — or songs. Kacou added that it has 50 partner labels and around 100 artists from 25 countries.

The artists include Senegal's M'balax maestro Youssou Ndour, Congo's Lokua Kanza, Magic System from Ivory Coast and Cabo Snoop from Angola.

Kacou said that the service will digitize and make available African music currently in music media like vinyl, cassette, or CD. The aim is to reach younger listeners.

Kacou told Reuters that "It's a real opportunity for countries that are also experiencing this digital transformation³."

He said the service will support independent labels who are looking for a wider network.

Kacou said finding a producer in Africa and making cultural works available is a "real challenge" for many artists. He added that most artists do not receive a fair amount of money for their musical works.

Words in This Story

digital – adj. using or characterized by computer technology

opportunity – n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

transformation – n. a complete or major change in someone's or something's appearance or form

challenge – n. a difficult task or problem: something that is hard to do

1 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

2 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

3 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。