14 DAY TRIAL // Welcome to the social on South African rhythms. Zune users will be able to tap an entire catalog of South African music on their digital players via Zune Marketplace, as Microsoft has announced an agreement with Gallo Music Group.
Gallo's catalog of music will be served on the US market exclusively through Zune Marketplace. The new partnership inked by the Zune Division will deliver an additional 50 albums of South African rhythms that cover almost 80 years of musical history.
"As a longtime fan of world music and the Gallo label in particular, it's impossible for me to overstate what an exciting development this is for the world music community," said Jon Kertzer, senior music programmer at Microsoft and the host of a popular world music radio program on Seattle-based KEXP-FM. "This is an amazing introduction to South African music, and we look forward to making more of the Gallo catalog available in the future."
"It is with great pleasure that Gallo Music Group has partnered with an online innovator like Microsoft to share the best of South African heritage and make nearly 80 years of Gallo music available to U.S. consumers," said Ivor Haarburger, CEO of Gallo Music Group. "We're excited to bring the best of artists such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Lucky Dube and Simphiwe Dana to American music fans as we transform Gallo from a traditional record label into a company that delivers rich content to multiple platforms in a variety of ways."
A potpourri of genres and sounds, the Gallo catalog will deliver South African music from 1930 to today to Zune users. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is perhaps one of the most know pieces of South African music worldwide and it will be available through the Zune Marketplace.