Thanks to the border-smashing capabilities of the Internet, Nigerian music fans can listen to their favorite songs faster than they can say “Ice Prince.” With the digitization of music came a wave of innovative and disruptive platforms all vying to provide listeners across the globe with access to the latest music on new technologies.
Yet, as the web continues to swell with daily content and offerings, it’s easy for one to feel overwhelmed when searching for tunes. In this two-part series, we’ll present you with both popular and underground online music platforms for streaming Nigerian music. This week, we’re kicking off the list with iRoking and Spinlet, two internationally-known king-pins in the industry, and the lesser-known, yet equally dedicated website, NotJustOkay.
iRoking
Established by iRoko Partners–the largest Internet company in Nigeria, this free music streaming platform has been providing listeners with a wide range of African music since 2011. Thousands of tracks from the continent’s biggest acts are available on-demand, via both desktops and mobile applications. Users can also watch music videos, browse community playlists and listen to their favorite songs on-the-go offline. Co-founders Jason Njoku and Bastian Gotter launched iRoking after having achieved unprecedented success with their Nollywood-centric product, iRokotv (dubbed the Netflix of Africa,) and landed lucrative partnership and distribution deals with YouTube, Vimeo, iTunes and more.
NotJustOk
NotJustOk was launched in 2006 by Demola Ogundele as a way of bringing local contemporary music to Nigerian music lovers residing in every time zone. In addition to streaming “spankin’ new” music and producing a quarterly countdown show, this online community is dedicated to supporting and showcasing up-and-coming talent. The NotJustOk Hype section includes interviews with promising artists, producers and music video directors. And while the platform sells digital versions of physical albums as they are released, users also receive 10 free song downloads each month in the Select-10, as well as free mixtapes.
Spinlet
According to the Spinlet website, the digital music company’s vision is “to positively transform media content distribution in emerging markets with a particular initial focus on digital distribution, Africa and local music.” With a headquarters in San Francisco, California–the home to Silicon Valley–and operational offices in Lagos, Nigeria, Cape Town, South Africa and Tampere, Florida, Spinlet prioritizes both listeners and music acts by enabling music lovers to share and manage their tunes on a cost effective platform, while also monetizing content for musicians and giving them access to revenue often lost through rampant piracy. As the company’s Chief Marketing Officer revealed to Social Media Week Lagos last year, Spinlet has also been active in exposing African artist’s to the global market through key music conferences like MIDEM and sponsoring the first African Music Showcase at SXSW in Austin, Texas. http://www.nairaland.com/872/listen-nigerian-music-online