Music streaming startup Deedo has been a huge success in a number of Francophone African countries since its launch in 2017, and is now focused on further expansion.
Deedo connects artists from across Africa with audiences on the continent and in the diaspora, offering them increased visibility while making it easier for users to listen to African music and tackling piracy.
Initially launched in Senegal, the platform now also operates in Mali, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon, and Nigeria, as well as France and the United Kingdom (UK), and has tacked up over 100,000 downloads of its app, which is available on iOS and Android.
Founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Awa Girard told Disrupt Africa Deedo – which makes money from subscriptions – plans to be active across countries in total by 2021, in West and Central Africa as well as Europe, the United States (US) and Canada.
“Deedo is positioned on a global African market, multi-territory and multi-catalogue, compared to global generic leaders or local services in African countries,” Girard said when asked about its uniqueness.
The startup plans to tap into growing usage of streaming services in Africa as smartphone penetration rises.
“Streaming services are already playing a major part in our daily routines. Whether it is video, music or gaming, the frequency we use these services is rapidly growing,” Girard said.
“The main challenge, is to find a model that will equally benefit all stakeholders. We at Deedo, strongly believe that part of the answer is personalisation and specialisation of the service to match users’ main interests.”
Deedo believes it has managed this, and investors seem to agree. The startup has taken on angel funding from French investors and was among the 40 startups to receive investment from the Senegalese government via its Délégation de l’Entrepreneuriat Rapide (DER) at the end of last year. Now, funding in hand, it is planning major expansion in its bid to become the primary African music streaming service.
