Lanre Masha to lead The Orchard’s West Africa operations

A subsidiary of Sony Music, The Orchard is the world’s largest independent music distribution company, and the news coincides with the company’s expansion into the region.

In the past year, The Orchard has also expanded its team across South Africa and Kenya appointing Mpumi Phillips as director of distribution in South Africa and Beth Achitsa as artist and label relations manager in Kenya.

Masha, who boasts expertise in distribution and release strategies, will lead the company’s efforts to strengthen its foothold in key markets like Ghana and Nigeria, as well as French-speaking West Africa. He will work hand in hand with The Orchard’s vice president for market development for Africa, reporting to executive vice president and head of strategy Prashant Bahadur.

Before his current role, Lanre Masha spent eight years at Trace Media where he served as general manager for music and editorial, supporting artists locally and internationally. He also gained experience in marketing and sales at Pepsico in Chicago, US. Currently, Masha serves as the music curator for Art X Live! and is a founding member of MARS, which has nurtured breakout Afro-pop star YKB.

Already at The Orchard, Masha has been influential in securing the signatures of Ghanaian pop duo R2Bees. He has also been instrumental in the signings of Nigerian acts Ty Bello and Afro-fusion artist Muis.

“West Africa is no longer a young market,” Masha said. “We are leading the global expansion of music from the region, connecting artists with fans worldwide. The Orchard’s cutting-edge technology, vast global network, entrepreneurial spirit and best-in-class solutions to not only build but sustain a global business, is how we offer unparalleled support to our clients. I look forward to working with the team to bring the rich talent of West Africa to the world.”

“The Orchard has been invested in the musically rich African diaspora over the last ten years,” Bahadur added. ‘We continue to foster long-term relationships with our clients in the region as we expand. Lanre’s deep immersion in the Nigerian music scene coupled with his global background as a marketer and curator makes him uniquely qualified to grow The Orchard’s value proposition for our clients while offering a tailored approach sensitive to the varied needs of the region.”

In May, The Orchard entered into a distribution and promotion partnership with Ghanaian music start-up Tieme to bring the work of Tieme’s artists to wider audiences while driving global collaborations for them.