Tidal launches African music hub

The Africa page can be found on the Explore tab and will house an array of playlists signalling new arrivals and local classics.

The playlists, which will be updated regularly, include Africa Now, which samples the biggest hits and freshest sounds from across the continent, Afrobeats Heat, which is dedicated to the contemporary dance genre popular with Nigerian and Ghanaian artists, and l’Afrique: Top Francophone Hits, which focuses on coupé decale, rumba, R&B and trap from West and Central Africa.

The rest are Naija Hits, Mzansi Hits, and Sabar & Kora: Senegal, Mali, Guinea & the Gambia, dedicated to contemporary Mandinka and Wolof pop.

“The booming continent exhibits a powerhouse of musical talent,” Tidal said. “As the world’s youngest continent with 60% of the population under the age of 25, young producers and artists are creating exciting pop music at a breathtaking rate, challenging cultural norms and making waves locally and internationally.”

Tidal’s latest genre expansion adds to recent efforts by major streaming platforms to spotlight African music. In March, the Apple-owned Shazam launched the East Africa Risers playlist on Apple Music for trending and emerging artists in the region. The music discovery and identification app has also launched similar playlists for Nigerian and South African artists.

Tidal was founded in 2015 following Jay-Z's acquisition of Norwegian public company Aspiro. In March, mobile payments group Square agreed to acquire a majority stake in Tidal for $297m.

In September last year, Tidal secured a partnership with telecoms giant MTN Nigeria. The deal allows subscribers of the mobile network access to Tidal’s extensive catalogue of music, videos, concerts, interviews and news.