Boomplay or Boomplay Music is a media

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

and download service developed by Transsnet Music Limited. The service was first launched in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

in 2015 by

TECNO Mobile Tecno Mobile is a Chinese mobile phone manufacturer based in Shenzhen, China. It was established in 2006. It is a subsidiary of Transsion Holdings. Tecno has focused its business on the African, Middle East, Southeast Asian, South Asian, Latin ...

, Transsion Holdings. Boomplay has a

freemium Freemium, a portmanteau of the words "free" and "premium," is a pricing strategy by which a basic product or service is provided free of charge, but money (a premium) is charged for additional features, services, or virtual (online) or physical (o ...

and subscription based service; basic features are free with advertisements or limitations, while additional features, such as download for offline play and ad-free listening are offered via paid subscriptions. The service is currently available for Web via www.boomplay.com, Android and iOS use. As of August 3, 2018, Boomplay Music recorded 10 million installations off the

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android (operating sys ...

and

App store An App Store (or app marketplace) is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the co ...

. It currently has over 70 million monthly users (MAU) with a catalogue of over 85 million songs.

History

Boomplay primarily focuses on African local and urban music content and was first launched in Nigeria in 2015. Boomplay Music released "Boomplay Music Version 2.1" in March 2016 introducing its Premium Subscription which featured paid subscription services, ad-free listening and downloads for offline play. In March 2017 Boomplay Music released Version 3.0 which featured a new logo, redesigned

User Interface In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine f ...

, the follow feature and the introduction of a new "Buzz" feature that allows users access to entertainment news without leaving the app. In 2017, it won the ‘Best African App’ Award at the AppsAfrica Innovation Awards in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, South Africa and on April 14, 2017, announced a partnership with

TuneCore TuneCore is a Brooklyn, New York–based independent digital music distribution, publishing and licensing service founded in 2005. TuneCore principally offers musicians and other rights-holders the opportunity to distribute and sell or stream the ...

. On 5 November 2018, Boomplay Music agreed a deal with

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

to distribute content from Universal's music labels. The agreement brings UMG's extensive catalog of both local and global recording artists including

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

, Tekno,

Post Malone Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his variegated vocals, Malone has gained acclaim for blending genres and subgenres of hip ...

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

Lady Zamar Yamikani Janet Banda; known professionally as Lady Zamar, is a South African singer and songwriter. She was born on 19 June 1995 in Tembisa, South Africa and was raised in Thembisa. She mainly incorporates elements of house music in her songs and ...

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

Brenda Fassie Brenda Nokuzola Fassie (3 November 1964 – 9 May 2004) was a South African singer, songwriter, dancer and activist. Affectionately called MaBrrr by her fans, she is also known as the "Queen of African Pop", the "Madonna of The Townships" or si ...

, Wurld,

J. Cole Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985) is an American rapper and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained recognition as a rapper following the release of his d ...

, Dr Tumi,

Nasty C Nsikayesizwe David Junior Ngcobo (born 11 February 1997), known professionally as Nasty C, is a South African rapper, songwriter, and record producer. After releasing three mixtapes, one being "Undisputed" and two EPs, Ngcobo released his debu ...

6lack Ricardo Archibald Valentine Jr. (born June 24, 1992), known professionally as 6lack (stylized as 6LACK, pronounced "black"), is an American singer and rapper. He initially gained notable recognition following the release of his single, "Prblms" ...

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

Hugh Masekela Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for ...

Jon Bellion Jonathan David Bellion (born December 26, 1990) is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. He was born and raised in Lake Grove, New York on Long Island. He is best known for his song "All Time Low," along with his writing and producing cred ...

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

Tamia Tamia Marilyn Washington Hill (born May 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and producer. Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Tamia performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. In 1994, after signing a development dea ...

Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...

AKA Aka, AKA or a.k.a. may refer to: * "Also known as", used to introduce an alternative name Languages * Aka language (Sudan) * Aka language, in the Central African Republic * Hruso language, in India, also referred to as Aka * a prefix in the n ...

Anatii Anathi Bhongo Mnyango (born 8 January 1993), known professionally as Anatii, is a South African rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer & music video director. Career Anatii began his professional musical journey at the age of 14 when h ...

, Tjan,

Jah Prayzah Mukudzeyi Mukombe (born 4 July 1987), better known as Jah Prayzah, is a Zimbabwean contemporary musician and lead member of the band ''Third Generation''. He is popularly referred to by fans and media as "Musoja", the Shona word for "soldier", a ...

Nonso Bassey Chukwunonso Anozuma Bassey Iwuchukwu, popularly known as Nonzo Bassey, and formerly known as Nonso Bassey, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, actor and model. He was among the top 8 finalists in the maiden edition of The Voice Nigeria and was si ...

Mafikizolo Mafikizolo is a South African Afro-pop music duo formed in 1996, consisting of composer Theo Kgosinkwe and lead singer Nhlanhla Nciza. The duo rose to fame after they released their singles "Ndihamba Nawe kuphela", "Kwela Kwela", "Sibongile", "U ...

, Cina Soul,

Ella Mai Ella Mai Howell (born 3 November 1994) is an English singer-songwriter. Her musical career began at London's British and Irish Modern Music Institute in 2014, during which time she auditioned as part of a trio on the 11th season of ''The X Fa ...

, and

Mr Eazi Oluwatosin Ajibade (born 19 July 1991), better known by his stage name Mr Eazi, is a Nigerian-born, Ghana-based singer. He is a pioneer of Banku music, a fusion of sound he describes as a mixture of Ghanaian highlife and Nigerian chord progressio ...

to its users. In December 2018, the iOS version of the app was released. In March 2019, Boomplay announced a licensing deal with

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

. The terms of the partnership allow Boomplay to distribute Warner Music's extensive catalogue of more than one million songs to its community of listeners in ten countries; Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. In March 2019, Boomplay successfully completed a series A funding of US$20 million led by Maison Capital and followed by Seas Capital and other strategic investors. In 2021 it was announced that Boomplay is working with Croatian vendor Centili to innovate data payment models. Customers earn points that can be used in exchange for data, can take part in promotions and competitions to win data, and can gift data to others users. This feature was launched initially in Nigeria, but is expected to be rolled out to the other countries in which Boomplay operates.

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

announced in October 2021, that data from Boomplay streams would be added to the data used in collating the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

, Billboard 200 and other Billboard data-driven charts.

Partners

In May 2019, Boomplay signed a distribution agreement with

Believe Digital Believe (also known as Believe Music; previously known as Believe Digital) is a global digital music company headquartered in France which provides digital solutions for artists and labels. Believe has several brands including TuneCore, Nuclear ...

distribution services. Believe was founded in Paris in 2004 by Denis Ladegaillerie as a worldwide online distribution and services arm and an in-house record label. With 32 offices in 16 territories, the company's clients include Scorpio Music, Kitsune, Chinese Man Records, Fargo, Baco Records, Afrique Caraibes Productions and Yellow. Also in 2019, Boomplay announced licensing deals with Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group,

Sony Music Group Sony Entertainment, Inc. is an American entertainment company established in 2012. It focuses on most of Sony's motion picture, television and music businesses. It is a subsidiary of the Japanese Sony Group Corporation, managed by Sony's America ...

, and global indie rights agency

Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...

. In June 2022, Boomplay partnered with telecommunications company AirtelTigo to offer its users cheaper data to stream music in its app.

Expansion

Boomplay announced its move into East Africa by opening its Kenyan office in August 2016. It opened its Tanzania office In April 2017. It currently has local operations and offices in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon.

Accounts and subscriptions

As of July 2022, the two Boomplay subscription types, both offering unlimited listening time and enhanced sound quality (up to 320kbit/s bitrate) are:

References

External links

Boomplay Music - WebPlayer
{{Music streaming services Music streaming services Android (operating system) software Nigerian music websites