Steve Stoute’s music distribution and artist services company UnitedMasters has struck a partnership with Nigerian producer, Sarz, to unlock new opportunities for African artists. This would see artists subscribe for a one time distribution fee while offering an opportunity for the artists to own 100 percent of the masters from the deal.
UnitedMasters and Sarz have partnered on the producer’s 1789 imprint in an effort to empower African artists and allow them to expand their music globally.
Stoute, during a press conference revealed the approach to support artists by offering a one-time fee for unlimited song distribution. This unique service provides artists with comprehensive analytics, playlist insights, and exclusive sync opportunities.
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“Our services are tailored to meet the needs of the market instead of trying to force a fit. We want to grow and develop alongside this market. Our subscription model benefits both us and the artists, who retain 100% of their revenue. With half a million or a million artists signed up, everyone wins,” Stoute said.
He said other companies enter the market but quickly leave, making it unclear if they are genuinely invested. However, United Masters is committed to helping teams in this marketplace and will be present here frequently.
Notably, United Masters has established partnerships with influential entities such as the NBA, potentially featuring artists’ music during games or highlights. Stoute expressed pride in being the sole provider of distribution integrated with brand collaborations, detailed analytics, and playlist features, emphasizing the unparalleled nature of their all-in-one platform. This groundbreaking initiative aims to empower artists and elevate their visibility on a global scale.
Sarz when asked about how he feels about the deal he said, “It’s been amazing so far. What I do love about this partnership especially with the United Masters is everything they said they’ll do, they’ve done it and those are the kinds of people I love to work with, those that don’t oversell and underdeliver.”
Sarz emphasized the need for growing artist to go through a developmental stage to prepare them for the global stage and that is what himself and his team are invested in.
Stoute, replying to questions about how the company will adapt overtime given the diversity in culture of the industry in Nigeria said the only logical blueprint is to fail fast, in the new market, adapt and learn.
News of UnitedMasters expansion to Africa via its partnerships with Sarz and Mavin Records arrives just over two years after the platform secured a $50 million Series B investment, led by Apple with additional funding from two existing backers: Google parent Alphabet and Andreessen Horowitz.
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After six months in October 2021, UnitedMasters raised another $50 million in funding, led by Andreessen Horowitz. The new round valued the independent artist distribution platform at $550 million.
In May last year, UnitedMasters, launched a new platform for buying and selling beats called Beat Exchange.In 2021 the company struck a partnership with cryptocurrency platform Coinbase to give indie artists the ability to be paid in crypto through Coinbase’s new payroll product.
The announcement followed UnitedMasters’ news from August 2021 about other new finance tools for indie artists, one of which, launched in partnership with beatBread, enables the distributor to offer qualifying artists advances ranging from $1,000 to $1 million.
