Koko Master is back with another tech-meets-music play. Nigerian Afrobeats star D'banj has teamed up with Cinq Music Group, a music company based in the United States, to sell selected international songs to fans in Nigeria through USSD codes, according to an announcement made on Friday, November 6, 2026.
The service is being rolled out through C.R.E.A.M., the platform owned by D'banj. Under the arrangement, fans will be able to purchase complete song downloads as well as caller ringback tones, with prices said to be set for the Nigerian market, P.M. News reported.
First song on the menu: T.I. and Rihanna
The very first track offered under the deal is 'Live Your Life', the hit by American rapper T.I. featuring Barbadian superstar Rihanna. Further recordings and the territories where they will be available are expected to be announced once the arrangements are finalised, the announcement said.
Why USSD?
USSD, the short-code dialling system many Nigerians already use for bank transfers and airtime, is the payment channel at the centre of the plan. According to the announcement, the idea is to let fans pay for foreign music using channels built with the local market in mind, rather than relying only on international payment options.
The company also pitched the model as useful for those who own the rights to the songs. Every completed purchase produces a transaction receipt, which C.R.E.A.M. said would give rights holders a clearer picture of how much demand exists locally and help them track how the music is performing commercially.
The announcement described the partnership as "a milestone in making international music accessible through a locally owned Nigerian platform," as summarised by P.M. News.
Part of a bigger direct-to-fan plan
According to the company, the foreign music offering will plug into C.R.E.A.M.'s existing setup, which already covers discovering talent, distributing music, earning money from it, engaging fans and rewarding them. The initiative is presented as an extension of the platform's direct-to-fan approach, which aims to link creatives straight to their audiences.
C.R.E.A.M. said the partnership would widen the pool of international recordings Nigerian fans can access, while keeping its focus on direct interaction between artists and the people who listen to them.
Nigeria first, then the rest of Africa?
Nigeria is the launch market. The company said it plans to take the service to other African countries, but that expansion depends on rights agreements, commercial deals and the state of local infrastructure in those markets. No timeline for the wider rollout was given.
