Communiqué 57: How Mavin Records became an African content powerhouse
For a long time, Mavin Records had been known as just a music label. Now, it has evolved into a content marketing company that also develops artists and makes music.
1. Chapter X
In November 2024, Nigerian record label Mavin Records released Chapter EX, a short film featuring a cast of actors and creatives. The 11-minute drama was the film directorial debut of Daniel David, the music video director renowned for his work with some of the label’s most prominent acts, including Ayra Starr and Crayon. It was also the coming-out ceremony of Savant, Mavin’s in-house production studio.
The move signaled Mavin’s evolution from a traditional record label to a multimedia business. At the heart of this transformation was a content marketing strategy built upon Afrobeats’ universal appeal. It was also Mavin’s way of staking a claim beyond music. For a long time, Mavin had been known as just a record label. Now, it is evolving into a content marketing company that also happens to develop artists and make music.
2. The content gamble
After three years of working in traditional media with stints at Pulse, and CNN, Segun Akande knew he needed a new challenge. He did not know where it was going to come from, but that did not stop him from resigning from his job at Zikoko—where he had helped platform artists like Joeboy, BNXN, Blaqbones, and Oxlade before they blew up —at the end of September 2019. While waiting for the next opportunity he got a text from a friend, Mavin Records was looking for someone to lead their content marketing efforts.
In January of that year, Kupanda Capital had invested $5 million into the record label. This deal was significant for the Nigerian music industry because it was one of the earliest examples of a music label like Mavin Records being valued like a tech startup. Tech startups are often valued based on their potential for rapid growth, scalability, and future revenue rather than their current financial performance. Venture capital investments like the one from Kupanda Capital, are typically aimed at fueling this kind of exponential growth, with the potential for outsized returns. For Mavin content marketing was the vehicle that would drive that growth.
Two years before investing in Mavin, Kupanda Capital had put boots on the ground in Lagos, helping the record label structure its business operations and understand the Nigerian market. A change was afoot in the way Nigerians consumed music locally and in the way the music was marketed internationally.
In 2012, Spinlet launched in Nigeria as the first music streaming service in Sub-Saharan Africa. Before then, Nigerians primarily accessed music through file-sharing sites like Notjustok and Naijaloaded, where they downloaded songs, often without compensation for the artists. This began to change with the introduction of streaming services, artists could now earn directly from their songs. But more importantly, it also changed the way music was marketed.
Instead of relying solely on radio, DJs, and file-sharing sites, labels began using digital platforms to generate buzz and revenue. This transformation mirrored what had happened with hip-hop in the U.S., where rap songs were marketed through mixtape sites, which offered exposure but little to no revenue. Over time, artists like Rick Ross and his Maybach Music Group began creating their own content teams to document artists’ creative processes and promote their music independently. Mavin’s COO, Tega Oghenejobo, himself a hip-hop fan, had been paying attention to the trend. With the support of Michael Collins Ajereh (popularly known as Don Jazzy), Mavin’s founder and CEO, he wanted to replicate the strategy with the label’s roster of artists.
The timing was also serendipitous as the label prepared to release the second generation of artists from its academy. These artists had different styles and approaches to music, with different audiences, but the label wanted to ensure a uniform quality of content across the board.
After drafting a content plan for Crayon, one of the acts in the Mavin Academy at the time, during the interview process, Akande joined Mavin as the label’s first content strategy lead.
3. Mavin’s content playbook
Mavin Records excels in tailoring narratives for each artist, treating them as unique characters with distinct origin stories, motivations, and conflicts—elements designed to captivate specific audiences. This process begins early, often while artists are still in the Mavin Academy, where the content team helps them develop a front-of-camera personality that best represents their brand.
The label is also particular about the audience it markets its artists to. For instance, Ayra Starr was positioned as a young female pop icon from the onset, and her marketing strategy was laser-focused on appealing to young women. Korty, a young female creator, conducted her first Nigerian media interview. Subsequent local and international interviews were with young female personalities, reinforcing her connection with this audience.
Similarly, during Rema’s rollout, Mavin collaborated with Gen Z influencers like Diana Eneje and Amy Okoli, who introduced him to their established fanbases, even sparking rumors of a relationship between Rema and Eneje. These partnerships not only expanded his reach but also ensured his music resonated within the Gen Z community. This audience-centric approach fosters deep emotional connections and builds loyalty among early adopters. By cultivating a core group of dedicated fans, Mavin guarantees consistent engagement—whether through views, shares, or amplification—for every release. This foundation of loyal supporters ensures that from the moment an artist is launched they already have a built-in audience invested in their journey.
Mavin Record’s ability to adapt to the rise of short-form content has also been integral to its content strategy. Before the pandemic, the label began observing TikTok’s growing influence as a major driver of music streams. Recognizing the platform’s dynamics—where users scroll through endless feeds seeking quick, engaging videos, and sometimes discovering new music—the label swiftly adjusted its approach to align with this new consumption behavior. Platforms like TikTok have changed how audiences find and engage with music, shifting the burden of engagement onto creators. Recognizing this, Mavin condensed its storytelling into bite-sized formats, optimized with platform algorithms and audience attention spans.
Beyond the obvious metrics for success like reach and engagement, Mavin’s content approach has been financially beneficial for the company, helping maximize impact while minimizing expenses, a critical advantage for an industry where projects frequently go over budget. For instance, with Ayra Starr’s Bloody Samaritan, a shoestring budget of ₦700,000 ($1,700) was approved for the in-house content team to make a performance video before releasing the official video. The minimalist yet compelling performance video resonated deeply with audiences. It amassed 62 million views on YouTube, six times more than the 10 million views the official video has gathered.
Aside from the cost-efficiency benefit that Mavin’s content division provides, it has also become an income generator, diversifying the label’s revenue streams beyond traditional music sales and streaming royalties. Mavin generates income by creating content for external collaborators, including brands and other artists. For instance, when Mavin artists partner with global or local brands for endorsements, collaborations, or campaigns, the label’s content team handles aspects of the production.
With the release of Chapter X, Mavin announced Savant, the in-house content production studio that began to take shape when Akande joined the company in October 2019. Content marketing has played a key role in the company’s success until now and will play an even bigger role in the coming years.