Apple Music Is Launching In 25 Additional African Countries

Apple’s music streaming service, Apple Music, has announced a global expansion of its services across 52 countries, many of them in Africa.

The service was previously available in just 13 African nations including South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya amongst others, but will now extend to 25 more countries. The list includes Angola, Tanzania, Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Namibia, Rwanda and several others, bringing the total number of countries where the service is available to 38.

The service is also being made available across countries in Asia-pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, including Jamaica, the Bahamas, Guyana, St. Lucia and more. The move reflects Apple’s desire to increase the use of its devices in these regions.

Though pricing information has not yet been made available, the platform will launch in these countries by offering free six month trials, Billboard reports. The streaming service will hosts regional and country-specific playlists such as “Ghana Bounce,” and “Africa Now,” and next month, it will release exclusive artist-curated playlists from the like of Davido and Angelique Kidjo.

The expansion is a response to the shifting tides in how media is consumed across the continent. Despite high costs and limited access to the internet in various countries, data suggests that the use of digital services will continue to outpace other forms of consumption such as TV and radio, reports Quartz.

This move means that Apple Music is now more present on the continent than its main competitor Spotify, which is currently available in just five African nations: Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and South Africa.

This could mean increased revenue for local African artists, as it potentially help curb music piracy. See the full list of African countries below.

• Algeria
• Angola
• Benin
• Cameroon
• Chad
• Côte d’Ivoire
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Gabon
• Liberia
• Libya
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Republic of the Congo
• Rwanda
• Senegal
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Tanzania
• Tunisia
• Zambia

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