Free music streaming service Audiomack is expanding its operations in Africa by opening a new office in Lagos, Nigeria, the company tells Billboard.

The service is already available in all 54 countries on the continent and is the No. 1 free music app -- the No. 6 free app overall, after Facebook’s suite of apps and Snapchat -- on Apple’s App Store in Nigeria.

Along with the new office in Lagos, Audiomack has made three new hires, which will be based in Nigeria but work on initiatives across the continent: Adeyemi Adetunji will head operations and commercial partnerships; Charlotte Bwana will work on business development and media partnerships, and Olive Uche will manage content strategy.

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Audiomack has grown considerably in the past few years, having passed 1 billion monthly plays by January 2019 and instituting both a premium tier at $4.99/month and a monetization platform to help creators on its service get paid.

Partnerships with Songtrust, Live Nation Urban, and a licensing deal with Warner Music followed. In Africa, the company says its plays have grown more than 1,600% over the past 14 months, while it has been a sponsor for Afrochella and Afronation in the past year.

"Audiomack from inception has always been a key partner for the African creative," Nasty C manager and Africa Creative Agency co-founder Colin Gaylesaid in a statement to Billboard. "The platform has been key in amplifying our clients…and has a clear understanding of the market and audience. And now with boots on the ground, Audiomack is poised to change the game forever."

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