Encomium
MTN, in collaboration with content aggregator, Content Connect Africa and Just Music has clinched a landmark deal that gives it the exclusive rights to Adele’s much-anticipated single entitled Hello which was released on October 23, as a caller ring back tone. During the advertisement break of the popular reality television series, British X Factor, which was aired on Sunday, October 18, 2015, Adele teased fans with snippets of the much-awaited album.
This is the first time that Adele has sanctioned the use of her music through this format. Hello is the single taken from Adele’s highly anticipated new album entitled, ’25’ set for worldwide release on November 20, 2015. Hello launched as an exclusive Caller Tune on MTN on Friday, October 23, 2015, in South Africa, Nigeria and Uganda and will be exclusively available to MTN subscribers for downloading on MTN’s music platforms, customers will be able to download it by dialling *123*53# at 50c per week.
Larry Annetts, Sales and Marketing Executive for MTN South Africa, says, “MTN is pleased with the securing of these rights, in collaboration with Content Connect Africa, as it gives expression to MTN’s ongoing commitment to promoting music as an art form. MTN has a proud track record of promoting the development of music on the continent, and our collaboration with renowned artistes such as Mafikizolo, Mi Casa, Nigeria’s Praiz, Tiwa Savage, Davido and Don Jazzy, amongst others, is indicative of our quest to use our expansive footprint to give our customers the best musical experience.
We have done a lot of work in promoting music in the digital space, with Music+ being one of our key offering that has given many artistes across the continent a bigger platform to market their music. We are humbled and pleased that our efforts in the music space are being acknowledged and recognised, and we are looking forward to similar partnerships of this nature going forward,” says Annetts.
Adele is the first woman in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to have three simultaneous top 10 singles as a lead artist, and the first female artist to simultaneously have two albums in the top five of the Billboard 200 and two singles in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100.
“This exclusive right we have secured with Adele’s recording label Just Music will set us apart from the competition and reaffirm our commitment to delight millions of our customers and provide them with a distinct customer experience, and this was accomplished through our collaboration with Content Connect Africa” Annetts concluded.
