Apple Music expands into 25 African countries

Apple Music, App Store, Apple Arcade, Apple Podcasts and iCloud are now available in Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Libya, Morocco, Rwanda and Zambia.

Apple Music, with its catalogue of more than 60 million songs, has been rolled out in Algeria, Angola, Benin, Chad, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Tunisia.

“We’re delighted to bring many of Apple’s most beloved services to users in more countries than ever before,” Apple's vice-president of Apple Music and International Content, Oliver Schusser, said.

“We hope our customers can discover their new favourite apps, games, music and podcasts as we continue to celebrate the world’s best creators, artists and developers.”

New Apple Music users in the 52 countries will be able to take advantage of a six-month trial. Pricing in the new regions ranges from $2.99 per month in markets like Angola, Cameroon and Zambia to $10.99 in Iceland.

With the massive expansion, Apple Music is now available in 167 countries. Its music streaming rival, Spotify, currently operates in 79 countries, although the Swedish company has said it plans to expand into other markets soon.

The new regions will also be covered by Apple’s recently finalised deals with the three major labels, Universal, Sony and Warner.

The expansion follows the quiet launch of Apple Music’s web-based version yesterday. This puts Apple Music on par with Spotify in terms of platform accessibility. Spotify started as a website and later launched an app, while Apple Music opted to release an app first.

Additional reporting by Ano Shumba.