Pick up where you left off
Suggested for You
Picked from what you've been listening to
Themes
The sounds that made South Africa
New Releases
Fresh from the catalogue
MAD About
Curated collections from the archive
Global Favourites
Albums the world keeps coming back to
Curated by
Selections from the people who know the vault
Browse
Gallo 100
100 years of Gallo Music
Themes
MAD About
Discover
Fresh picks for you
Search
Genres
Decades
My Playlists
No playlists yet. Create one!
Profile
No access token
Help
MAD — Music Africa Direct is a hundred years of South African music, straight from the original master tapes. Here's how it works.
Getting started
Try it free for 7 days. Tap Guest at the top right, then Start 7-Day Free Trial. Enter your email and you're in straight away. We email you a Confirm button — tap it within 24 hours to keep all 7 days.
Already have an access code? It looks like MASS-XXX-XXX and arrives by email. Tap Guest → Enter Access Token. One code works on up to 3 devices at a time.
Just browsing? Look around freely and hear 30-second previews of every song.
Finding music
Search (bottom bar): type an artist, album or song, then tap an album cover to open it.
Browse: G100 (100 years of Gallo), genres, decades, themes and MAD About collections.
Listening
Tap an album, then a song. The player sits just above the bottom bar — tap it for the full player.
Maddie, our AI assistant (the button at the top), can suggest music — just ask. Available to subscribers.
Your library and playlists
Library (bottom bar) holds your playlists. Create one, add songs to it, and share it with a friend as a link.
Buying access and downloads
Access: tap Guest → Buy Access for a monthly subscription, or a 1-day, 7-day or 30-day pass (paid once, no card stored). Payment is by Paystack, and your access code is emailed to you.
Downloads: tap + Basket next to a song in an album; buy several in one payment.
The MAD app
On Android, get the MAD app on Google Play. The iPhone app is coming; until then use this website in Safari.
Bought access on the website? Open the app and choose Enter access code.
Your account
Tap Guest (or your name) at the top right to see your access, enter a code, or sign out.
Common problems
“This code is already in use on the maximum number of devices”
A code works on 3 devices at a time. Sign out on one of them, or wait 15 minutes and try again.
I didn't get my email
Check your Junk or Spam folder for an email from musicafricadirect.com. Still nothing? Contact us below.
Songs only play for 30 seconds
That's preview mode — you're not signed in. Start a free trial or enter your access code.
My trial ended after one day
The trial runs for 7 days once your email is confirmed. Contact us and we'll sort it out.
Contact us
Tell us what's wrong and we'll get back to you by email.
