Deezer slashes prices in more African countries

The new subscription prices in Angola, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda are Premium ($2.99), HiFi ($4.49) and Family ($4.49), while the monthly charge in Senegal and Ivory Coast are Premium (1 649 CFA francs), HiFi (2 475 CFA francs) and Family (2 475 CFA francs).

Deezer’s subscription gives users access to channels such as East Africa Sounds, Afro Hits, Rap Bangers and Hits of the Moment. Users also get access to the service’s podcast tab, which features 15 different channels including business, sports, gaming and technology content.

Subscriber benefits include easy offline listening, Songcatcher, the company's in-app feature that identifies unknown tracks and lets you add them directly to your library, country selector for localised content, and the Flow discovery tool, among others.

“Our new price change will make it even easier for more audio fans in Africa to incorporate streaming into their daily lives,” Deezer senior vice-president for Europe, Asia and Africa Ralph Pighin said. “From hyperlocal talent to global acts, we want music and podcast fans to have the most personalised experience at a subscription plan that matches their individual needs.” 

Deezer cut its subscription prices in Nigeria and Kenya earlier this year. The Premium plan in Kenya now costs $3 – reduced from the previous $5. Interpreted by industry watchers as an attempt by the service to remain competitive, the move now puts the service on par with rival Apple Music, which also costs $3 in Kenya.

Meanwhile, Apple Music this week announced that it would add lossless audio to its entire catalogue on Apple Music at no additional cost from June. The move gives the company an edge on other music streaming platforms such as Deezer and Tidal, which charge for their lossless audio format.

On 20 May, Deezer announced that it had named Jeronimo Folgueira as its new CEO. The music exec takes over from Hans-Holger Albrecht, who has led the company since 2015. Albrecht will continue to support Deezer as a member of the board of directors. Deezer also said its monthly active users globally grew to 16 million, and its catalogue now boasts more than 73 million tracks, podcasts and radio stations.