Azuka Ogujiuba
For the first time in the Nigerian entertainment space, a record of 300,000 people were privy to the life coverage of Wizkid’s made in Lagos concert held in the iconic 02 arena in London. It was the first time a show of international repute was brought to Nigerians in the comfort of our rooms, offices and on the screens of our phones. The mountain was brought low so we could climb. And, despite the fact that the partnership of Wizkid, UduX and Africa’s telecommunication giant, MTN could only bring to the screens of our gadgets, the Day one of the epoch-making event which was November 28th, it left an indelible mark in the hearts of Nigerians, because it was the first time such a feat was achieved by an African artiste, and it brought hope to Nigerian music lovers that no matter how far, they can always connect with their favourite artistes. It was a remarkable event which stood as the No 1 trend on Nigerian Twitter for five hours.
The digital streaming industry has been dominated by notable companies- YouTube Music, Apple iTunes Store and Spotify for too long, and to break from the norm and also register its presence/share of the live streaming accolades and dividends, UduX was launched in April 2019 by a Nigerian Tech Company known as Groove Platform. It set out to bridge the gap in music value to the audience. Founded by Chidi Okeke, who serves as the CEO, UduX is so far living up to its billing. It has been licensed by the three major global record companies under its coverage and they are Sony, UC and Warner.
As a result of Wizkid being signed to Sony Music, it was easier for UduX to secure the license for the live-streaming of the MIL concert. Dialing it forward a notch, it has a catalogue of over 20 million tracks of local and global collections with top notch sound quality.
With reference to the origin of UduX, video streaming was not part of the master plan, but as a focal opportunity, which substantiates the consumption of video contents more than any other form of content, UduX took the opportunity to be endeared to more audience like it has never been heard of.
The founder and CEO of UduX, Chidi Okeke, said: “UduX is an innovative solutions platform within the music eco-system, constantly seeking ways to create meaningful experiences that people can connect with and root for. Wizkid’s performance at the O2 Arena provided an opportunity for uduX to deliver on this mandate, most especially as we as Nigerians, applaud and celebrate Wiz’s evolution as an artist and musical achievements.
“The live streaming of Wizkid’s O2 Arena concert is just the beginning of uduX’s foray into offering Africa more immersive entertainment experiences. We are in a digital age that is eliminating physical and geographical barriers and providing opportunities for curating experiences that weren’t possible before. Nowhere is this more visible than in the entertainment space, think of AR and the Metaverse. Admittedly video is more at the tail end of immersive experiences, however it is a step up from what’s been available in Africa.”
The chief operating officer of the company, Douglas Jekan adds: “Since its inception in Nigeria, UduX has pioneered diverse initiatives to provide our subscribers with well curated, innovative and high-quality musical experience but this was a new high. The Wizkid live-stream also came at the perfect time as we and other Nigerians applaud and celebrate his musical evolution and Grammy Nominations”.
In line with the details of UduX and MTN partnership, while eulogizing the achievement of Wizkid, the CMO of MTN Nigeria Adia Sowho said: “The record-breaking concert by one of Africa’s greatest is an epic feat, for which all of Nigeria and Africa is proud. MTN proudly supported the show by enabling more than 10 times the arena’s capacity to enjoy the concert from the comfort of their homes across Nigeria. We hope that this is the first of many opportunities to bring the world to Africa and take Africa to the world”.
Jekan further said: “Technology and entertainment are coming together in different ways to bring more immersive and wholesome experiences to personal spaces. While video is not the most immersive experience, as we’re in the age of argumentative reality and the metaverse, it is richer than just audio. For a show of this magnitude, we felt we needed to bring as much of the experience as we could, not just the sound.”
As expected, after the show, there has been a surge in patronage of the UduX platform, but it is not only grateful for that, but for the fact that it was able to bring joy and happiness to a lot of Nigerians.
UduX is clearly breaking barriers and tearing down the limitations to the growth and experience of African music and dissemination worldwide. The company has reaffirmed its buff for consistency, “to continually offer music video streaming among its services because people consume it more than any other artistic contents.”
As against the proposed, that the access to the event via live streaming will be free, a mix up ensued and MTN customers had to pay N1,000 before gaining access before they realised it was actually free. Subsequently, UduX apologised for the inconvenience and also made the best out of the situation. Without a doubt, UduX was best for Wizkid’s concert as it has been very innovative in championing the course of African music overtime.
“For Wizkid, it was a chance to show his Nigerian fans love and we facilitated the whole thing, pulling the experience out of the 02Arena and making it available to Nigerians via our platform,” said Jekan.
On the 19th of December, UduX once again rebroadcasted the MIL event as promised, along with the documentary series in collaboration with MTN.
Said Jekan: “There is also a free subscription to stream any visual content of your choice on the UduX platform after the details of your eligibility had been verified.”
On the collaboration with MTN, Okeke relished how a shared goal, ideology and philosophy made the whole collaboration process easy, adding, “The partnership with MTN and Wizkid was built on a shared philosophy- one that represents taking the best of Africa to the world. MTN is one of the largest telecommunication companies in Africa. In so many ways, they embody this philosophy.”
