Noted Nigerian entrepreneur and music solutions architect, Victor Okpala, has joined streaming giant, Spotify, as its Artist & Label Partnerships lead for the West African market, an update on his LinkedIn profile can confirm.
Okpala, who has worked extensively in Nigeria’s music industry, will be the inaugural Artist & Label Partnerships lead for Spotify in the sub-region after the streaming service announced its entrance into more African markets in the first quarter of 2021.
This role positions Okpala as the key contact person and an advocate for West African artists and their teams within the Spotify ecosystem.
Typically, he will also represent the interest of the streaming platform within the artists and label community.
Formerly a multimedia music journalist, Okpala was most recently the leader of Lagos-based communications agency, NABSolute Media, an institution he founded to cater primarily to the music and creative industry two years ago.
In 2020, NABSolute was listed by US publication, Billboard as one of the gatekeepers in Africa’s entertainment ecosystem for their work in communications and moving music forward.
Through his work with NABSolute Media, Victor Okpala has managed campaigns for African music heavyweights like Dare Art Alade, Reekado Banks, Runtown, Seyi Shay, Skales, and K1 De Ultimate, as well as Grammy nominee, Somi and JUNO award winner, Tome.
Over a year ago, Okpala and his team at NABSolute oversaw the induction of Nigerian music onto Red Bull’s global music library and, till date, the agency has curated over 60 Nigerian songs for the energy drink company.
Okpala’s advocacy for the music community is also reflected in his latest project dubbed SpinHeard; a marketing tool to help independent artists build traction for their music for 99% less than standard marketing cost.
Taking his passion for community-building into Spotify, Okpala is expected to play a key role in helping artists identify with the streaming giant as a strategic partner for success on and off the platform.
