Carry1st Expands Beyond Gaming, Partners with Audiomack to Offer Local Payment Solutions for Music Streaming Across Africa

Carry1st has extended its influence in the African digital payment space by partnering with Audiomack to simplify subscription payments for millions of users across Africa. This marks a strategic move for Carry1st, traditionally known for its strong presence in gaming payments, to diversify into the music streaming industry.

A Milestone for Local Payment Access

Carry1st, a leading player in Africa’s digital content and payments ecosystem, is making significant strides by enabling local payment methods for Audiomack’s music streaming subscriptions. With its established payment platform Pay1st, Carry1st now allows users to pay for Audiomack subscriptions using various local options, including mobile money, digital wallets, and bank transfers. This move aims to bridge the gap for users across the continent, who have often faced challenges in accessing international services due to payment limitations.

Previously focused on offering digital payment solutions for games such as VALORANT and Call of Duty: Mobile, Carry1st’s venture into music represents a significant expansion. The company’s online marketplace, Carry1st Shop, is already home to a variety of digital products, including mobile top-ups, electricity, and gift cards. This partnership with Audiomack further diversifies its content offerings, aligning with its goal of scaling digital access across frontier markets.

Audiomack: A Music Giant in Africa

Audiomack, boasting over 30 million monthly users globally, is a key player in Africa’s music streaming industry, particularly known for its support of emerging and independent artists. The platform has a strong foothold in hip-hop, Afrobeats, and rap music, genres that dominate the African music scene. It has consistently ranked as the top music streaming app on Apple iOS in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, and Kenya.

The partnership will enable users in multiple African nations—including Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Morocco, and Côte d’Ivoire—to purchase Audiomack subscriptions through the Carry1st Shop. These passes, available in daily, weekly, or monthly options, will allow users to enjoy an ad-free experience, unlimited downloads, HiFi streaming, and other premium features. By pricing these subscriptions in local currencies, Carry1st aims to make the service more accessible, eliminating the need for users to rely on international credit cards or foreign currencies.

Local Solutions for a Global Platform

One of the critical challenges in Africa’s digital landscape has been the availability of local payment solutions for international services. Carry1st’s Pay1st platform has been designed to address this gap, offering a seamless payment process through widely used methods like mobile money, which is popular in countries like Kenya (via M-Pesa) and Ghana (via MTN Mobile Money). This partnership with Audiomack signifies a significant shift in how digital services can be delivered to African users by leveraging local financial infrastructure.

Strategic Importance of the Partnership

From a strategic perspective, this partnership underscores two important developments. First, it marks Carry1st’s broader expansion beyond gaming into lifestyle and entertainment sectors. Second, it reflects the increasing importance of local payment solutions in the African market, where traditional banking infrastructure can be limited, and mobile money dominates.

Audiomack’s VP of Marketing, Charlotte Bwana, emphasized the significance of this partnership in expanding the platform’s presence across Africa. “Carry1st has been impactful in growing Africa’s gaming industry for creators and users, and we are confident we can replicate this approach in the music space,” she noted.

For Carry1st, this collaboration with Audiomack highlights its evolving role as more than just a gaming content provider. Guillaume Noé, Carry1st’s VP of Growth for Platform, stated: “Not only are we unlocking popular games, but we’re now also unlocking the music that people love.”

Affordable Subscription Models

To encourage adoption, Carry1st and Audiomack are offering a 10% discount on all subscription passes across the participating African markets. This pricing strategy ensures that users from varying income levels can enjoy the platform’s premium features without the financial burden that typically comes with international subscriptions.

The Future of Digital Payments in Africa

Carry1st’s ability to offer seamless, localized payment options is becoming increasingly crucial as Africa’s digital economy grows. With the rapid expansion of mobile money and increasing smartphone penetration, there is a growing demand for localized solutions that cater to the specific needs of African consumers. The partnership with Audiomack is an indicator of how Carry1st is positioning itself as a leader in this evolving landscape, offering a one-stop solution for digital payments across various sectors.

As the African digital content market continues to grow, partnerships like this are likely to shape how consumers interact with global platforms. For Audiomack, the collaboration with Carry1st enhances its accessibility in a market that is rich in musical talent and eager for more seamless ways to access content.

Conclusion

Carry1st’s partnership with Audiomack represents a forward-thinking approach to solving payment challenges in Africa’s digital ecosystem. By leveraging its existing infrastructure in gaming payments, Carry1st is now extending its reach into music streaming, making premium features more accessible for millions of African users. This collaboration highlights the critical role local payment solutions play in the broader adoption of digital services across the continent.

As Carry1st continues to evolve, its partnerships across various sectors—from gaming to music—suggest that the company is well-positioned to lead the charge in Africa’s digital transformation.