Wale Davies reveals SMP’s plans for African songwriters

Davies revealed this in a recent interview with Music Business Worldwide (MBW) as part of the publication’s World Leaders series, which spotlights outstanding executives overseeing international markets.

Davies joined SMP following the company’s announcement last that year that it was launching operations in Lagos, Nigeria, as part of its expansion efforts across Africa, with Godwin Tom as managing director. 

“By building strong foundations for our songwriting community locally, we can provide them with an elevated level of creative support,” Davies, who co-manages singer Tems, believes. “We are also focusing on global collaboration opportunities to help give SMP Africa songwriters a seat at the international table.”

According to Davies, aside from Nigeria and South Africa, which remain prominent creative centres, emerging markets such as Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania within the broader African region are experiencing significant growth, stressing that it is remarkable to witness and experience the developments, something he foresees will expand and transform in the future.

On SMP’s maiden songwriting camp in West Africa, which took place in Accra, Ghana, in January as part of a vision to drive growth opportunities for creative communities across Africa, Davies said: “To witness so much talent from across the continent work and form relationships across the week and create amazing music together. It was a gratifying experience.”

The event spanned a wide range of activities including sessions with top songwriters, artists and producers, creative/A&R mixers, wellness activities and community outreach workshops aimed at supporting the next generation of songwriters.

 “As a Nigerian myself it has always been a goal of mine to build bridges between the continent and the rest of the globe, and I am grateful for this opportunity to cultivate the future of music with SMP,” Davies, who led the programme, said ahead of the camp. 

Speaking to MBW, Davies noted that his outfit is keen on actively producing records and facilitating valuable connections, stressing the value of prioritising the music itself and placing it at the forefront, particularly in a data-driven world.

Davies also shared his insights on the current trends and opportunities in the publishing sector, as well as the growth trajectory of hip hop in Africa. He also touched on the importance of data in identifying new songwriters and how it has reshaped the conversation around songwriter discovery. He acknowledged the transformative power of data tools in providing publishers with greater visibility into diverse markets and regions that were previously overlooked, adding that the continued refinement of these tools would lead to even deeper insights, uncovering talented songwriters from emerging regions.

Addressing the challenges faced by international songwriters in Africa, Davies stressed the need for industry collaboration to modernise local societies and frameworks. He revealed that SMP is actively working on expanding support for African songwriters by tackling issues such as publishing education and access to creative spaces with initiatives like panels, masterclasses and songwriting conferences.

Read the full interview here.