During the 2013 Samung Africa Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, Samsung announced that it has joined forces with global music giant, the Universal Music Group to bring music to mobile users in Africa. The Kleek is initially being rolled out in five African territories first, including South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Angola, but Universal ultimately wants to achieve availability throughout the entire region.
Thabiet Allie, head of content and services at Samsung Electronics Africa said, “Samsung recognizes that the African market is very different to that of its European, Asian and American counterparts. We are thus, through our Built for Africa initiatives, focused on building services and partnering with the best local and international content owners, and this partnership is testament to that.”
Randall Abraham,and Managing Director for Universal Music South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa
Thabiet Allie, head of content and services at Samsung Electronics Africa
Samsung stands to win big if the service proves to be a hit; it’s signed an exclusive two-year pact with Universal that lets it preinstall the Kleek on its devices (and give users 12 months of free streaming). Owners of other Android hardware aren’t being left out entirely; they’ll eventually be able to download the app from Google Play. At its core, the Kleek software isn’t radically different from other services. Users of the Kleek will get access to artists, genres, and celebrity playlists, album previews, artist diaries, music charts, and more.
Randall Abrahams, South African Idols judge and Managing Director for Universal Music South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa also commented, “With the Kleek, we are not just delivering the best local and international music, we are providing all of Africa with a unique and bespoke user experience. The service will also help us focus on developing future stars from across the continent.”
Universal Music Group goes into this partnership for its potential to reach music fans across Africa. Kleek is designed and built to bring fans across the continent their favorite music and give artists access to a wider pan-African audience, the music giant said.
“By investing in the Kleek we’re providing a platform for the very best of African talent to reach a wider audience,” said Max Hole, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group International. “With the explosion of smartphones and other mobile devices, the Kleek has the potential to attract tens of millions of music fans across Africa.”
