UK-based music tech company Beatchain has partnered with Tom Russell and Y’akoto, founders of AFROSON1C X, to launch WAVVI, a white-label platform for artist services and discovery in West Africa.
WAVVI will offer streaming distribution, AI-powered advertising campaigns, performance and auience analytics and audio mixing tools, among other services.
The platform uses a gamified leaderboard system where top-performing artists can earn distribution credits, production support or performance opportunities on international stages.
Beatchain says the service includes features tailored to West African markets. Artists meeting certain criteria can distribute one single monthly at no charge, and royalty payments will process through mobile money wallets. West Africa has 356 million mobile money accounts, representing the world’s fastest adoption rate for the payment method, Beatchain said, citing GSMA data.
For record labels and A&Rs, the platform offers filtering tools designed to identify new artists across the region.
The service will start in Ghana before expanding to Nigeria and other markets in the region.
“West Africa has the talent, the audiences and the momentum – our job is to provide the technology and the infrastructure to connect them to the world.”
Ben Mendoza, Beatchain
Ben Mendoza, CEO of Beatchain, said: “WAVVI marks another major step for Beatchain as we establish ourselves as the technology platform of choice for music industry partners in exciting, high growth music markets. West Africa has the talent, the audiences and the momentum – our job is to provide the technology and the infrastructure to connect them to the world.”
WAVVI was developed in partnership with AFROSON1C X’s founders, British music entrepreneur Tom Russell and German-Ghanaian singer-songwriter Y’akoto. AFROSON1C X operates as a showcase festival and industry conference. The organization made appearances at SXSW London and Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg this year.
Mendoza said: “Working alongside Tom Russell & Y’akoto from AFROSON1C X, we are delivering a platform tailored to the region’s unique needs, engaging artists locally, empowering them and strengthening the broader local music ecosystem.”
Tom Russell, Co-Founder of WAVVI and AFROSON1C X, said: “West Africa is bursting with talent, but artists here don’t often have enough access to the networks and infrastructure needed to build a sustainable career in the music business – the systems to support them aren’t in place yet.”
“West Africa is bursting with talent, but artists here don’t often have enough access to the networks and infrastructure needed to build a sustainable career in the music business – the systems to support them aren’t in place yet.”
Tom Russell, AFROSON1C X
“With WAVVI, we’re introducing critical tools, structure and opportunities to help reach global audiences, while also laying the foundations for a stronger, fairer, more connected West African music industry. AFROSON1C X supports the same mission locally, as part of its own wider program.”
Sub-Saharan Africa, which includes West Africa, was the second-fastest growing recorded music market globally in 2024, rising 22.6%, according to the IFPI. Global artists who came from the region include Rema, Tems, Burna Boy and Wizkid.
AFROSON1C X is also developing the AFROSON1C X Academy, a permanent facility offering music and tech courses, recording studio access and partnerships with educational institutions for long-term artist development.
The partnership also plans to host the inaugural AFROSON1C X Festival and Industry Conference in Accra in January 2026. The two-day event will feature Nigerian duo The Cavemen as headliners and aims to facilitate connections between West African talent and the international music industry.
For Beatchain, the West African expansion follows its entry into India last year through Muzartdisco, launched with Radio City India. That platform has registered more than 20,000 artists and facilitated UK touring opportunities for local acts, Beatchain has revealed.
Beatchain was founded in 2016 by Mendoza, a data entrepreneur who previously built software for UBS, Goldman Sachs, SAP, Meta and Uber.
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