VerseOne Distribution: A powerful solution for African independents

Enter VerseOne, a novel digital distributor that has been offering African independents diverse solutions to get their music released, monitored and rewarded since 2019. “We care for our artists. For us, it’s not just about the numbers and statistics,” VerseOne Distribution client relations officer Sharie-Niah Defoe says.

Offering releases that are delivered within 48 hours or less, the VerseOne platform makes it possible for artists to distribute their releases at short notice. This eases the long list of burdens faced by many upcoming musicians who release new music. VerseOne provides this service at no monthly cost or fee to users in exchange for a commission of their royalties to cover costs incurred for file storage, catalogue administration and licence acquisition. More importantly, it gives all artists an equal opportunity to get their music heard globally. Since 2019, the company’s distribution has almost doubled from 150 to more than 280 digital music stores.

VerseOne also focuses on smaller music streaming platforms, which gives artists a better shot at exposing their music, compared to the major platforms that are typically bombarded with hundreds of thousands of releases every day.

On the continent, VerseOne has a physical presence in East and West Africa, although the service is available across the continent. “We welcome African musicians from all African countries to join our service. We currently have representatives in Nigeria and Uganda and hopefully we will continue to expand our network in Africa,” Defoe says.

The company works with popular streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music, as well as several localised digital service providers (DSPs) such as Boomplay and uduX. Negotiations are currently underway with Mdundo.

The platform also offers a sync service, a lucrative revenue stream for songwriters that includes publishing for TV, ads, and radio. Regarding royalty administration – another key feature offered by VerseOne – discussions with more collective management organisations (CMOs) are ongoing to offer watertight collections. The company receives mechanical royalties directly by using aggregation partner FUGA. Publishing royalties are collected by local CMOs through bodies such as ASCAP, PRS, BMI and SESAC. Additional partnerships include Sound Exchange, which collects neighbouring rights royalties.

VerseOne is also serious about safeguarding African content with an added layer of protection for artists. As part of the company’s strategy to clamp down on copyright violations, it has partnered with ACRCloud, a music fingerprinting solution that adds a high level of security not offered by many of its competitors.

“We acknowledge the surge in demand for African music such as Afrobeats and amapiano, driven by artists such as Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido and more,” Defoe says. “With these types of surges comes an increase in piracy and copyright violations, which is why we are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to protecting artists’ music.”

Other VerseOne services that can benefit musicians include synopsis pitching, maintenance of profiles on DSPs, and music video distribution. The company’s music video distribution channels reach platforms like Apple Music Video, Tidal and Amazon Video, among others. All these efforts are designed to build an ecosystem where artists can profit from the distribution of their music.

Independent artists who are free from contractual obligations can start benefiting from the service by migrating to VerseOne, which pays out monthly for all earnings above $50 earned within a month.

Meanwhile, VerseOne’s GoAsia campaign, which helps international artists to break into the Asian music industry, has been put on hold due to the strict COVID-19 restrictions that are still prevalent in many Asian countries. The service was previously provided to Nigerian musicians such as Waje and Cobhams Asuquo. “We hope to expand this in the near future once the COVID restrictions are lifted so travel and touring resumes,” VerseOne says.

Asked about the value VerseOne sees in Africa, Defoe said: “We believe Africa is a growing market and as the market continues to grow we would like to be a part of that growth.”

Visit the VerseOne website for more information.

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