Josplay, an Afrocentric audio entertainment platform known for curating African music, news, and others, has partnered with Sony Music Entertainment (SME).
The company announced the content partnership in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday.
The company, in a statement signed by its Chief Operating Officer, COO, George Ogala, described the deal as a move to expand the global footprint of African artistes while deepening music discovery across the continent.
Mr Ogala said the partnership will give Josplay users worldwide access to Sony Music’s extensive catalogue, broadening the platform’s content offering.
He added that the agreement also covers recordings distributed through The Orchard, as well as the full catalogues of Lusafrica and Africa Nostra, labels acquired by Sony Music France and Sony Music Publishing France in 2025.
Mr Ogala noted that Lusafrica and Africa Nostra together boast more than 4,000 tracks, spanning over three decades of Lusophone and African music.
Global roster
The collection includes the complete works of Cesária Évora, the legendary Cape Verdean Morna singer whose distinctive barefoot performances and Grammy-winning voice brought global attention to the emotional richness of African music.
It also features recordings from acclaimed artists such as Bonga, Boubacar Traoré and Lura, representing a deep and enduring Lusophone African musical tradition.
Mr Ogala further explained that the collaboration would open up a vast selection of recordings from Sony Music’s global roster to users on Josplay.
He added that part of this catalogue would be delivered through The Orchard, whose established presence in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya has helped create one of the most far-reaching and culturally diverse music distribution networks across the continent.
Living thread
Mr Ogala noted that Josplay was created with the conviction that music capable of linking listeners to their roots, no matter the time zone, deserves more than a generic genre label on conventional streaming services.
He said the partnership not only expands the platform’s catalogue but also underscores the very purpose behind Josplay’s creation.
“For the African diaspora, music is not background noise. It is identity, memory, and community. Music is a living thread connecting listeners to home across time zones, borders, and generations. African music is not a subset of world music. It is a world of music, a statement that shapes every product and partnership decision the company makes.
“African music is not one thing — it is Juju and Gnawa, Morna and Amapiano, Afrohouse and Tishoumaren. Our listeners know this. They live it. Every feature we build, and every partnership we announce, is in service of that truth”, Mr Ogala said.
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Frames
Additionally, Mr Ogala said Josplay plans to enhance the partnership by expanding access to Frames, the platform’s culturally rooted listening experience tailored to how Afrocentric audiences engage with music.
He explained that Frames allows listeners to integrate music seamlessly into their daily routines, whether commuting, concentrating, relaxing, or socialising by starting with a chosen song, album, or artist that reflects their own cultural taste.
Unlike traditional playlists, he said Frames creates a dynamic, time-sensitive listening session around this “seed,” blending familiar favourites with discoveries while remaining within the user’s personal preferences.
For example, Mr Ogala said a Nigerian listener might centre a focus session on Juju, a Moroccan on Gnawa, or a Cape Verdean on Morna.
He said rather than erasing these cultural distinctions, Frames celebrates and builds experiences around them.
“This cultural specificity is what Josplay brings to the Sony Music partnership. Cesária Évora’s discography gains new meaning when it surfaces through the lens of who is actually listening, and why. The catalogue is vast. The context is Josplay’s.”
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