With this partnership, Audiomack’s customers across Africa can now easily access premium services by paying through local methods, enhancing their experience of streaming their favourite artists.

Renowned for providing consumers across Africa access to exclusive gaming content for popular titles like VALORANT and Call of Duty: Mobile, Carry1st’s payment solution, Pay1st, enables consumers to pay for digital items via a range of local payment options, such as mobile money, popular digital wallets, and bank transfer.

This new partnership with Audiomack demonstrates Carry1st’s expansion beyond gaming, highlighting the Shop’s growing diversity of content.

The Carry1st Shop offers seamless access to a wide range of products, including daily essentials (airtime, data, and electricity), game gift cards and top-ups, lifestyle and entertainment vouchers.

Audiomack, Africa’s leading music streaming platform, serves millions of African music fans. With a strong focus on emerging and independent artists, particularly in the hip-hop, rap, and Afrobeats genres, Audiomack is the top-ranked music streaming app on Apple iOS in Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Senegal, and Kenya.

Audiomack’s day, week, and month pass subscriptions will be available for purchase via the Carry1st Shop in local currencies in  Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Morocco, Tanzania, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Uganda, and Senegal. 

Subscriptions allow music fans to remove ads, unlock special app features, and bring their support of artists to the next level. This includes unlimited downloads, downloaded playlists, HiFi streaming and more.

To celebrate this collaboration, customers can take advantage of a flexible and affordable subscription pricing model, with 10% off on all passes.

Guillaume Noé, VP of Growth for Platform at Carry1st, commented on the partnership: “We’re really excited to be partnering with such an important platform like Audiomack, which champions entertainment and shares our passion for providing options to African consumers in the entertainment space. This partnership is a testament to our growth and the versatility of the Carry1st Shop. Not only are we unlocking popular games, but we’re now also unlocking the music that people love.”

Charlotte Bwana, VP of Marketing at Audiomack, noted; “Audiomack is incredibly excited to partner with Carry1st to expand our presence across Africa and make it easier for music fans across the continent to access premium features. 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.”

Following qualifying rounds, the surviving teams will gather in-person for a dramatic final showdown. The tournament will also award $1,000 to the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the grand finals, with MVP prizes available across all regional matches.

Africa’s esports scene is experiencing rapid growth, driven by the continent’s growing young population. With over 60% of Africans aged under 25, there is immense appetite for and rising participation in competitive gaming, especially on mobile devices.

As smartphones become more prevalent, the need for expensive hardware and high-speed internet to compete at the highest levels is fading away.

To meet this growing demand, the ecosystem is evolving to provide gamers with an elevated experience. Carry1st, which develops, licences, publishes and monetizes games on the continent, recently partnered with Call of Duty: Mobile to deploy dedicated servers in Nigeria and South Africa for this growing community.

The Carry1st Africa Cup signals the bright future of esports in Africa, amidst the backdrop of a burgeoning gaming market expected to surpass $1 billion this year. 

Carry1st CEO and Co-Founder Cordel Robbin-Coker comments, “Carry1st Africa Cup is a realization of our vision of uniting the continent’s gamers and reflects our broader mission to enhance gaming experiences in Africa. We’re excited to bring together Call of Duty: Mobile teams from major gaming hubs like Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. We’re proud to play our part in this booming esports ecosystem that will only continue to grow across the continent.”

“Having laid the groundwork with the successful launch of COD:M servers in Nigeria and South Africa, we are excited to take the next step by bringing competitive gaming to the forefront. The Cup is set to be an exhilarating celebration of African gaming talent, and we can’t wait to witness the action unfold,” adds Guillaume Noé, VP of Growth at Carry1st.

In addition to the fierce competition on the virtual battlefield, participants can also look forward to yet-to-be-announced performances from the continent’s biggest musical artists and a hub of gaming entertainment for fans.

How to Enter 

Registration for the Carry1st Africa Cup will open on Monday 27th May via the Carry1st website.

Teams must consist of a minimum of 5 players, and the competition is open to amateur and professional gamers alike. Participants from across the continent will compete using Call of Duty: Mobile’s multiplayer functionality.

Upon registration, players will receive special lobby codes for their matches, granting them access to exclusive gaming lobbies where they will face off against other teams to compete for a spot in the finals and to win the Cup.

The qualification stages are expected to run throughout June and July, which will culminate in the tournament’s finals, set to take place in August 2024, with regional champions taking part.

Carry1st will support any travel arrangements for teams unable to travel for the finals, ensuring that all qualifying teams can participate.