Warner Music Africa MD Temi Adeniji, whose firm now owns the whole thing of Africori. Photograph Credit score: WMG
Why cease at majority possession? Three years after scoring a controlling stake in Africori, Warner Music Group (WMG) formally owns the whole thing of the African music firm.
WMG, having first invested in Johannesburg-headquartered Africori about half a decade in the past, confirmed as a lot through a proper launch this night. Whereas the trade has skilled quite a lot of modifications throughout the previous 5 years, the concentrate on Africa’s quick-developing music markets (although maybe extra dialed in than ever) has been a continuing.
Following its preliminary Africori funding, Warner Music secured the aforesaid majority curiosity in early 2022. Now, in reference to the 2022 deal, WMG “has accomplished its full acquisition of Africori.”
Shifting ahead, the 16-year-old distributor and artist companies supplier is predicted to proceed working independently as a Warner Music subsidiary. And Africori founder Yoel Kenan will stay aboard as CEO, reporting to Warner Music Africa managing director Temi Adeniji.
The concerned firms opted in opposition to disclosing the transaction’s financials – however associated data could come to mild in publicly traded Warner Music’s future earnings reviews.
Extra instantly, the companies did point out that they’d “aligned their programs to permit Africori artists and songs to be upstreamed into the worldwide Warner Music community.”
All informed, Africori is claimed to boast north of seven,000 indie shoppers; thus far in 2025, the suitable professionals have charted with works together with however not restricted to “Sdakiwe Sbali,” “Ndsize,” and “Vuka.”
In an announcement, Warner Music Africa’s beforehand talked about MD, Temi Adeniji, touted the buyout as “a landmark second” for the most important’s presence in Africa.
“Over the previous 4 years,” continued the almost nine-year Warner Music exec Adeniji, “we’ve proven that correct funding, synergies and cooperation have created worth for artists, but in addition that Warner Music has helped energize and nurture the entrepreneurial spirit of an area associate.
“We’ve upstreamed Africori artists and plugged them into our world community, delivering worldwide remixes and trend-driven cross-collaborations which have helped elevate their careers,” the higher-up concluded.
Particularly within the approaching years, it’ll be price monitoring the Africori sale’s business implications. African streaming upstarts like Mdundo are eyeing aggressive development targets (different companies, nonetheless, are encountering operational hurdles), and all method of well-entrenched trade gamers are increasing throughout the continent.
In addition to the presumably acquisition-addicted WMG itself, these gamers embody the Quicket proprietor Stay Nation (which in November 2024 unveiled a large South Africa venue funding), Mavin International majority stakeholder Common Music, and Yamaha, which is partnered with Audiomack. The latter finalized a bolstered Warner Music licensing deal earlier in February.
