Diamond Platnumz partners with Warner Music through his WCB label

Under the new deal, the Dar es Salaam-based label will be incorporated into Warner Music South Africa and Ziiki Media, and its artists, including Diamond Platnumz, will collaborate with the diverse roster of musicians linked to WMG and Ziiki Media on new releases and brand partnerships, among others.

“I’ve built WCB-Wasafi from the ground up and believe that Warner Music and Ziiki are the right partners to help further grow our reach,” Diamond Platnumz said about the new partnership. “I’m also looking forward to plugging into the Warner network myself. We’ve got some exciting plans, and I can’t wait to share more music with the world.”

Warner Music emerging markets president Alfonso Perez-Soto said: “Diamond Platnumz’s musical talent is undeniable, and he’s become one of Africa’s most successful artists. On top of that, he’s proven to be an incredible businessman, as he’s grown WCB-Wasafi into a formidable record label. The East and Central African music scene has exploded over the last few years. We believe by working together, we can help promote Diamond and his artists to more fans around the world and introduce the bongo flava scene to a broader audience.

“This 360 partnership establishes a new way to engage with artists in Africa and our ambition to bring African talent to the rest of the world. I would like to thank WM South Africa and Ziiki Media for their outstanding support in making this deal happen.”

Ziiki Media CEO and managing director Arun Nagar said: “This partnership will further boost our presence in Tanzania and Africa as a whole. We hope to engage with a wide range of artists across different music genres from all over Africa, and the partnership with Wasafi is central to that approach. We’re investing sizeable resources into the market because we’ve got faith in its artists and belief that we’ve only just scratched the surface of what we can achieve here.”

Diamond Platnumz is currently the most successful artist in East Africa. He co-founded WCB in 2016, which is home to Lava Lava, Mbosso, Rayvanny, Zuchu and Queen Darleen. This new deal adds to Warner Music’s growing investments in the African market. In 2018, the company launched Warner Music Middle East, which covers Arabic North African countries. A year later, it partnered with the Nigerian record label Chocolate City, and last year it signed a licensing agreement with Audiomack, making the record label’s catalogue available on the music streaming platform in African countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and South Africa. In 2020, it announced an investment in Africori, a leading digital music distribution, music rights management and artist development company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.