Africa is bustling with potential for digital streaming services as smartphone adoption accelerates across the continent. Nowhere is this market shift more apparent than in Nigeria – where Jumamo is quickly gaining a loyal following.
This music streaming app from the Swedish company Addstep prides itself on providing both tailored content and a social community for artists and fans. But attracting interest from local content owners, users, radio stations and other stakeholders in Nigeria’s music industry was no easy task.
"We owe a great deal of our initial success to the support we got in terms of navigating this quite complex market. Business Sweden’s local team opened many doors for us in Nigeria where our platform was completely unknown, and they helped us get backing from partners and investors,” says Richard Lindberg, Co-Founder & CEO, Addstep.
Fast-track to local establishment
Finding local partners and quickly setting up an entity were two key priorities for Addstep in the Nigerian market. With Business Sweden’s help, the company could rapidly build a contact network while gaining a deep understanding of the practical steps needed to move forward with the business plan.
The collaboration started with a preliminary market analysis exploring local distribution channels followed by a go-to-market strategy. In terms of setting up a local entity, the practical support ranged from handling legal coordination, applications and registration of certificates, all through Business Sweden’s subsidised services for Swedish SMEs.
"Business Sweden’s experts gave us key contacts and made local introductions. They were instrumental in getting us up and running in Nigeria so quickly, and continue to be our close partner. Their local market knowledge and extensive contact network are simply invaluable,” continues Richard Lindberg.
Business Sweden’s knowledge of local market conditions and extensive contact network in Nigeria were invaluable.Reaping the benefits of Team Sweden events
Another catalyst for the successful launch of Jumamo were the summits and conferences organised by Business Sweden and its partner agencies in Team Sweden. These events included Nordic Nigeria Connect in Lagos and the Sweden-Nigeria Business Forum hosted in Stockholm.
“By attending these promotional events we gained more and more exposure and brand recognition in addition to valuable networking opportunities. They were the perfect vehicle for reaching out to stakeholders across the media, music and telecom sectors all gathered in one place, which resulted in partnerships, investments and closed deals.”
“It was through one of these meetings that we met Chinedu Chukwuji, the former General Manager of Nigeria's biggest collective management organisation COSON. We are proud to say he is now our Director for Africa,” adds Richard Lindberg at Addstep.
The results have been more than promising says Mr Chukwuji as he continues to develop Jumamo’s local reach. Highlighting Business Sweden’s impact as a bridge between Swedish companies operating in Nigeria and the different facets of the business community, he concludes:
“Business Sweden have never been shy in assisting in whatever capacity they can. The value of their support cannot be overemphasised. It is very good to know that we can always count on their extensive contact network and knowledge whenever the need arises.”
ABOUT ADDSTEP
Addstep runs a music streaming application, Jumamo, tailored to consumers in African markets. The platform features a diverse music portfolio of Afrobeat, Hip Hop, Reggae, Gospel, and other genres. All royalties and payments are shared with the musicians and the app provides a forum for interaction between artists and fans.
