MePlaylist attracts investment from Beyoncé's dad

The music streaming platform, which was founded by US-based entrepreneur Olakunle Oladehin, allows users to stream and download unlimited music. The platform also gives listeners daily custom-curated playlists on the app depending on their tastes and preferences.

Mathew Knowles, who has invested an unconfirmed amount in the service through his company Music World Entertainment, believes MePlaylist offers a unique experience for the continent.

"MePlaylist is Africa's solution to the popular music streaming platforms, but it takes streaming a step further by personalising the experience for each consumer based on their consumption patterns and the technology available to them,” he said. “This and the population of Africans both on the continent and in the diaspora is why I am proud to have invested in MePlaylist."

With his stake in the company, Knowles joins other global investors such as Music World International managing partner and Track Records Entertainment CEO Michael Kay Kiladejo.

MePlaylist is available on Android and web in African countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa and Zimbabwe. It is also accessible in the UK and North America.

The platform offers an administrative royalty distribution tool, high-quality audio, and digital data exchange standards for consumption and reporting usage. And much like other major music streaming platforms, users can curate their own playlists and get followers from around the world to listen to their music.

Olakunle says it is becoming increasingly important to focus on user-generated content. "Our focus is to put our users and their music consumption habits first,” he said. “Our platform has been designed with the understanding that people are mobile and constantly in need of new content, so from our interface to our catalogue options, we are making the MePlaylist experience the best in the market."

MePlaylist offers a free ad-supported tier as well as a premium tier, which is free for the first seven days and costs $7.99 a month thereafter. In comparison, Chinese-owned Boomplay – Africa's biggest music streaming service and a major player in Nigeria's music streaming market – charges $1.5 a month for its premium access plan.

Boomplay recently told Music In Africa that it might consider dropping subscription prices during the COVID-19 pandemic.