{"id":235260,"date":"2025-07-02T14:39:32","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T13:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/?p=235260"},"modified":"2025-07-02T15:54:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T14:54:19","slug":"sony-music-acquires-record-label-lusafrica-and-publisher-africa-nostra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/sony-music-acquires-record-label-lusafrica-and-publisher-africa-nostra\/","title":{"rendered":"Sony Music Group acquires record label Lusafrica and publisher Africa Nostra"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sony Music France and Sony Music Publishing France have acquired Lusafrica and Africa Nostra, a long-established label and publishing house dedicated to promoting Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) and African artists worldwide.<\/p>\n

Founded by Jos\u00e9 Da Silva in 1988 and now led by his daughter Elodie Da Silva (CEO Lusafrica & Africa Nostra), Paris-headquartered Lusafrica<\/strong> introduced Cape Verdean superstar Ces\u00e1ria \u00c9vora to the world.<\/p>\n

Nicknamed the “barefoot diva,” Ces\u00e1ria \u00c9vora gained fame later in life, securing numerous awards for her music, including a Grammy, four Kora Awards, and two Victoires de la Musique. Ces\u00e1ria \u00c9vora’s discography is certified gold in France.<\/p>\n

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Publishing house Africa Nostra was established by Lusafrica in 2000. According to the press release issued by Sony Music on Wednesday (July 2), the Africa Nostra catalog overlaps with nearly three-quarters of Lusafrica’s recorded music collection.<\/p>\n

According to Sony Music, with a catalog made up of over 4,000 titles, Lusafrica and Africa Nostra “hold a central position in the spread of Lusophone and African music worldwide”.<\/p>\n

Commenting on the deal, Jos\u00e9 Da Silva noted that “since it was founded in 1988, Lusafrica has played a key role in spreading African, Latin and Portuguese music around the world, not least through the incredible career of Ces\u00e1ria \u00c9vora”.<\/p>\n

He added: “Today’s handover marks the end of a cycle, but also the continuity of a musical heritage that is close to my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The confirmation of the acquisition arrives two and a half weeks after Rob Stringer, the Chairman of\u00a0Sony Music Group\u00a0and CEO of\u00a0Sony Music <\/a>Entertainment, updated investors on the music company\u2019s performance and strategy.<\/p>\n

Stringer revealed<\/a> during the presentation that Sony has \u201ccompleted more than 60<\/strong>\u00a0investments in the past year alone\u201d and spent \u201cover\u00a0$2.5 billion<\/strong> for frontline, catalog, as well as creative and service ventures with outside entrepreneurs across a vast number of territories\u201d.<\/p>\n

He also highlighted Sony Music\u2019s expansion in high-growth markets across Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our central local companies, we have forged new ventures in the Czech Republic, Greece,\u00a0\u00a0Saudi Arabia, and all across Southeast Asia,\u201d said Stringer.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cOur appetite for this is endless in its potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

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According to Sony Music, the Lusafrica and Africa Nostra catalog “resonate[s] far beyond the borders of its artists”, with “particularly strong” audiences in the United States, France, and Latin America.<\/p>\n

Music featured in the catalog includes the entire discography of Ces\u00e1ria \u00c9vora, with hits such as Petit Pays, Sodade, B\u00e9same Mucho;<\/em> and all albums of Polo Monta\u00f1ez including Un Mont\u00f3n de Estrellas, and Guitarra M\u00eda.<\/em><\/p>\n

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