Tigo Tanzania tunes into needs of music lovers

East African telco Tigo Tanzania has announced the launch of a music streaming service that will provide Tigo customers access to over 36 million songs. According to a statement Tigo Music provides access to unlimited music to customer's smartphones and was formed in partnership with Deezer.

Tigo brand manager, William Mpinga said through pre-paid data bundles from January 24, Tigo customers will be able to access more than 36 million tracks, including African and Tanzanian artists. Mpinga added that Tigo would also be sourcing new and local content through a new venture with the digital music company, Africa Music Rights, which funds, acquires and manages music rights across the African continent.

In the statement Mpinga said Tigo Music would allow local artists the opportunity to earn extra payment from their songs listened to through the service.

"Tigo Tanzania is a company built on innovation. We are excited to be the first telecommunication company in Tanzania to give our customers such access to unlimited music," he said.

"As a digital lifestyle brand, our goal is to impact the music industry by providing a platform that not only allows for easy access to content by local artists, but also train our musicians on important issues such as intellectual property rights and marketing. This is our way of supporting local talent and growing the local music industry." he added.

The introduction of Tigo Music in Tanzania follows the success of its launch in Ghana in 2014 and Latin America in 2013.