Downtown Music Publishing Africa Sets Sail Following Sheer Rebrand, Tees Up ‘An Expanded Suite of Services’

Downtown Music Publishing Africa managing director Thando Makhunga. Photo Credit: Seventwo Creative Agency

Another high-profile expansion in Africa – this time from Downtown, which has rebranded its Sheer Publishing Africa subsidiary as Downtown Music Publishing Africa (DMP Africa).

Downtown reached out with word of South Africa-based Sheer’s new identity and broader operational scope. On the former front, the name change is said to be indicative of “a deeper alignment with the global vision of Downtown,” which bought 29-year-old Sheer in 2020.

“Our new name reflects our ability to plug directly into Downtown’s global expertise,” added DMP Africa MD Thando Makhunga, “while staying rooted in the nuances of the African music landscape. We’re expanding our scope and partnering with major global companies to deliver tailored, transparent, and future-forward services.”

Among DMP Africa’s existing partners are Warner Chappell, Concord, and Saregama, besides a number of indie publishers operating throughout Africa, the company relayed.

Per higher-ups, the transition from Sheer to Downtown Music Publishing Africa (which will retain its “same dedicated local team”) is also “more than a visual refresh.”

Here, DMP Africa is teeing up “an expanded suite of services,” among them neighboring rights admin and the implementation of Downtown’s Curve royalty accounting system.

Furthermore, the newly named division will “be moving away from outdated contracts to build agreements designed around each creator’s unique goals,” Downtown confirmed. Though time will tell exactly what this transition entails, CEO Pieter van Rijn drove home plans to double down on “long-term, equitable partnerships.”

“This marks an important new chapter in our presence across Africa, a region rich in creativity, culture, and talent,” van Rijn specified. “DMP Africa reflects our belief in the region’s creative power and our responsibility to support its continued expansion.

“By partnering local expertise with global access and investing in long-term, equitable partnerships, we will ensure that talent from across the African diaspora is rewarded on a global scale,” the Downtown head concluded.

Moving forward, it’ll be worth keeping an eye on the commercial byproducts of those partnerships – especially given the growth behind several African music markets and the often-discussed sales potential of promoting domestic releases globally.

Of course, Downtown isn’t alone in looking to capitalize on this growth by bolstering its reach in Africa. Earlier in 2025, Warner Music Group opted to scoop up the remainder of Africori (in which it already had majority ownership), and Universal Music Group in 2024 took a controlling interest in Lagos’ Mavin Global.

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