ONErpm announces five new offices in Africa

The development, which the company says is consistent with its commitment to building a global business in key emerging markets, follows the launch of operations in Lagos, Nigeria, last year, with local musical acts like 1da Banton, Bella Shmurda, Zlatan and Reminisce on its roster.

Osagie Osarenz, who was country manager for Nigeria, has been promoted to director of African operations. In her new role, she will lead the launch of ONErpm’s offices in Accra (Ghana), Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Nairobi (Kenya), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Johannesburg (South Africa).

Almah Salum has been appointed country lead for Tanzania while George Avakian will head up the South Africa office. Florence Delali Kpeglo and Afi Cakpo will head operations in Ghana and Francophone Africa, respectively. Bilha Ngaruiya, meanwhile, has been named country lead for Kenya, with Mutuma Vincent as marketing lead in that country.

“Our value add in each market is eminent,” Osarenz said. “Empowering the African music industry with outstanding label services and knowledge sharing across the board is what ONErpm is poised to achieve, and it’s what we’ve done since our entry.”

ONErpm head of global expansion Martin Price said: “We are passionate about entering and contributing to the development of these promising new markets while helping artists and content owners succeed.”

As part of its expansion, the company has announced new signings, including Ghanaian duo DopeNation and Ivorian artist Shado Chris. Rwandan acts Ish Kevin and Kenny Sol have also joined the company, as have Tanzanian musicians Rose Muhando, Goodluck Gozbert, G Nako and Mabantu.

In operation since 2010, ONErpm boasts a presence in more than 20 territories globally, and is home to more than 8 000 YouTube channels that collectively generate over 9 billion views a month. The company leverages proprietary technology, marketing services, analytics and localised support to deliver business solutions to over 600 000 artists, music labels and video creators worldwide.