WeTalkSound, a 360 music firm based mostly in Nigeria, has partnered with Apple Music to curate playlists
Dolapo Amusat, Founder and CEO of WeTalkSound, sees the corporate’s new function as an official curator on Apple Music as a key step for Africans in shaping how African music reaches the world. “For me, the win right here is that we Africans are actually a part of shaping how African music is proven to the world. That basically issues to us,” Amusat informed BusinessDay in an interview.
WeTalkSound, a 360 music firm based mostly in Nigeria, has partnered with Apple Music to curate playlists that spotlight African sounds. This transfer amplifies Nigerian artists globally and opens alternatives for unsigned skills. Amusat defined that an artist in a metropolis like Akure can now attain listeners in Berlin or New York by way of these playlists. “That sort of attain wasn’t doable earlier than. Now, it’s not nearly exporting the sound, it’s about controlling the narrative round it too,” he mentioned.
The corporate began in 2016 as a WhatsApp group of associates debating music in Ibadan. It grew right into a group centered on design, music, tech, and occasions. Challenges included bootstrapping with out funding and working exterior Lagos, the business’s hub. “We had no funding, so the whole lot was bootstrapped. And we didn’t actually have a mannequin to repeat – we needed to determine issues out by trial and error,” Amusat famous. These hurdles compelled innovation, resulting in their present place.
As curators, WeTalkSound manages playlists like Avenue Frequency, Afromantic, and Scorching Drops. Day by day duties contain monitoring TikTok, attending raves, monitoring underground scenes, and reviewing artist submissions. Staff members pitch tracks brazenly, making certain numerous enter. Choice standards deal with cultural relevance and potential influence. “The query is at all times: does this mirror what’s occurring proper now, and can placing it right here assist this sound attain additional?” Amusat mentioned.
The playlists cowl genres akin to Afrobeats, Afro Home, and Afro R&B. Afrobeats gives a worldwide basis, Afro Home ties to rave tradition, and Afro R&B helps intimate, experimental work. These decisions mirror Africa’s musical variety, from nightlife power to community-building sounds.
The Eve playlist spotlights feminine artists to handle gender gaps in visibility and funding. “By making area each week to highlight girls, we’re making certain their voices are a part of the dialog persistently, not simply every year on Ladies’s Day,” Amusat mentioned.
For Nigeria’s music scene, the partnership builds sustainable connections to international audiences. It generates income by way of streams, creates jobs, and positions Nigerian music as mainstream. “When our artists sit facet by facet with enormous names on main playlists, it reinforces the truth that that is international music,” he added.
This function aligns with WeTalkSound’s imaginative and prescient of infrastructure for African creativity, together with occasions, media, and label providers. Extra bulletins are anticipated quickly.
Amusat, with expertise at Google, Bolt, and KPMG, views tech as an amplifier for music. His message to aspiring curators: “Concentrate on fixing actual issues for artists and audiences… Begin with what you’ve got. If we might develop into what we’re in the present day, then your individual concept can scale too.”
