Ingrooves Music Group, a leader in global independent music marketing and distribution, announced today that it has acquired Electromode, one of South Africa’s leading independent music distributors!
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The deal marks Ingrooves’ entrance into the growing African music market which is being transformed through increased access to and adoption of music streaming services. American media is abuzz with the news with giant publications such as Billboard and Music Week covering this ground-breaking announcement.
Electromode Managing Director, Chris Ghelakis will continue to lead the team based in Johannesburg and will work closely with the Ingrooves global music network to elevate engagement, identify new audiences, and build African artists and label brands around the world.
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“Music consumption in Africa continues to increase year over year and has become one of the most exciting growing music markets in the world,” said Bob Roback, CEO of Ingrooves Music Group. “Chris and his team have built one of the most vibrant independent music distributors in Africa and we are thrilled for him to be leading our expansion into the region. We look forward to growing artists in Africa and introducing African artists to new audiences around the world.”
Electromode is home to some of South Africa’s most popular and chart-topping independent music artists. The company dominated the streaming charts in 2019 and 2020, driven by the release of The Scorpion Kings and Kabza De Small, who recently occupied the top 27 positions of the Top 100 on Apple Music, a feat that has never been done before.
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Karl Anderson, Head of Apple Music Africa, said that “Kabza De Small’s album is the biggest local South African album, first day and first-week release.”
The hits keep coming with Electromode taking the top five positions of the Top 10 of Apple Music’s South African Chart in November 2020. These chart-toppers include “uThando” by Soa Mattrix, Soulful G & Shaun101 which has dominated multiple charts, as well as “Jazzidisciples (Zlele)” by Reece Madlisa & Zuma, the street anthem “VSOP” by Mr. JazziQ, Busta 929, and finally, “Ulazi” by JazziQ. Electromode also works with long-standing & established artists who have made great contributions to South African music, such as rapper Jub Jub. His remix of his multi-platinum hit, “Ndikhokhele” features some of the biggest names in South African music, “Ndikhokhele” charted number 1 across multiple platforms.
Electromode ended 2020 in an extremely strong position in South Africa, securing 7 of the Top 10 spots on the domestic Apple Music chart.
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Electromode’s roster includes more than 200 artists and associated labels including South African record producer DJ Maphorisa’s label, New Money Gang (Scorpion Kings, Mas Musiq, Tyler ICU, Daliwonga) and Piano Hub (Kabza Da Small, Kelvin Momo), influential independent labels, Ambitouz Entertainment (Blaq Diamond, Miss Pru, Malome Vector, Cici, La Sauce, Loyiso) and Spirit Music (Benjamin Dube, Omega, Woman in Praise). Electromode has an overall catalog of more than 30,000 songs and growing every day.
“Ingrooves has the same kind of independent spirit that we have fostered over the last two decades at Electromode,” said Ghelakis. “Their technology platform is second to none and their expertise around the globe make them a perfect fit for our artists and labels as we look to expand their audiences. Ingrooves will help us open the door for many South African and African artists to be introduced to new global audiences while growing and developing some of the great new and established independent artists creating music in Africa.”
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Over the last 12 months, Ingrooves has expanded its presence in South America, Asia, Europe, and Australia with new offices in Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, and Spain.
MGOSI.co.za