THE FACTS ABOUT NIGERIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY
Dear reader,
You might have read my previous post about music industry and the struggle some Nigerian artists need to go through to get noticed….Recently I have received an anonymous letter about this situation and I thought it would be fantastic for other readers to hear about the real facts in the industry.
Enjoy! And thank you my anonymous reader.
“I am not claiming to be super famous, but my name is relatively big in
Nigeria, so I didn't wish to publicly comment on the post and be miss
quoted later in some interview, so thought I'd drop the comment by
e-mail and you can use the info as you wish.
You did touch on the right aspects when you mentioned marketing in the
industry and the lack of funding, as well as how popular you are.
You can Group Nigerian artists into two categories. Street artists and
non-street or Commercial. The street artists, are those who are very
well know on the streets, but not commercially until they blow.
Oritse-femi is a Perfect example of a street artist. He had a great
reputation for about ten years. Then came the collabo With D'Banj
"Double Wahala" and boom, he is big.
The non-street, or Commercial ones usually make it pretty quickly
because they're either Rich, or have good sponsors. In Nigeria there's
a saying that you need Money to make Money. And this is certainly true
in the Music industry, because the big radio and TV stations force you
to pay to have your stuff played.
And what artist won't have their song on HipTV, Soundcity or The Beat FM?
Looking at some of the top artists inn the industry today, I can tell
you from knowing them personally that they buy promo and spend
millions of Naira on it. They also buy visibility such as press
coverage, Facebook and youtube likes on a very large scale. They even
pre-pay to get nominated and win Music awards.
Not everyone does and there are honest artists out there. But personal
wealth, or being signed to a record label is everything.
Of course, when Your name is established enough, you don't need to
spend so much Money on Promo. Kind of Ironic. Rich Tiwa Savage gets
free airplay while up and coming somebody else has to drain their
account.
Unfortunately, as with everything in Nigeria the Music industry is
corrupt. Though it is an exciting and vibrant industry I thank God to
be part of, this money draining aspect can sometimes be extremely
depressing. And on bad days, I ask myself whether talent plays a part
at all or if it's all about the Money.
There are also no such Things as royalty payments in Nigeria. so the
payment system goes one way. There is a small movement trying to
change these practices, but as one producer told me, when the likes of
P-Square and Davido are not in on changing everything, it's hard to
make it happen. Because if they removed their songs from the radio
stations, only New content would be played and the radio stations who
earn big Revenues from advertising would probably eventually start
paying these big legends to get them back on air.
I may be oversimplifying a little but I hope you get the general idea.
A Nigerian artist is lucky if he or she is a European or American
Nigerian. Because there are now increasing markets for African Music
in both Europe and America. So a way many artists are securing
royalties and more airplay outside Nigeria, is to register With
European and American Companies like BMI, etc for songwriting rights.
And a lot of the promo in the diaspora is much less about money and
more about connection. So And there's the supporting factors there's
not in Nigeria. So having one foot in Nigeria and one outside is the
best thing for any Nigerian artist who wants to succeed.
Piracy is also a huge problem in Nigeria and Africa in general. And
streaming services like spotify and Deezer, and buying Music on iTunes
isn't something everybody does. This is again where a Nigerian artist
has to grab the diaspora market. They love the streaming idea in
Nigeria though. I showed it to some People who were fascinated. And
they were Music Professionals, so let's hope it comes there.
I hope I haven't painted a too bad Picture. Or been boring you with
stuff you already know. The Music industry is tough anywhere, but in
Nigeria it's just that little bit harder. But I believe honesty and
hard work pays off in the long run. And if you make sure to put out
Music to the People, which often means free Music blogs, which doesn't
generate Income, then at least you may get loyal fans.”
IS M.I. THE "THE HIP HOP MESSIAH"?
This is a fantastic day. I have discovered that M.I. is following me on twitter!!!!!!!
I am so happy that I have decided to write about him, and maybe educate some people out there who this excellent Nigerian artist is. Enjoy.
MI has done a lot to bring a Northern presence to the Nigerian music industry, he depicts the perfect example of bringing Nigeria together. His music is conscious; therefore he is a leader in many ways to the youth of Nigeria. He is the founder of Loopy Records, and he is signed to Chocolate City.
M.I produces with Chocolate City, and has produced albums and songs for his labelmates. The most notable of these being in 2011 when he produced two songs off Ice Prince's album Everybody Loves Ice Prince.
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WHITE NAIJA GIRL RADIO SHOW
I really appreciate all my readers and fans, relatives and friends. Without you I would have never gotten the opportunity to have my own radio show. God bless you as you listen every Friday between 2-3 pm. PEACE & JOY RADIO, Manchester
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Please follow to link to listen to the online RADIO :
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NIGERIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY
As a Radio presenter I have the honour to talk to upcoming Nigerian artists, singers sometimes even work with them on music videos. However there are certain questions that come to my mind over and over again.Why is it that some music gets massive airplay, while some artistes who are really good never gets their songs heard?
Why do some artistes "blow" while others who are equally talented never make it big?
I have always wondered about the real answers to these questions. Have you?
I think art is just one part of success, marketing is the second aspect.
People will accept an artist how he’s marketed. The art is just one part of it; the marketing is the second aspect. It’s 50-50. Without marketing it’s really difficult to impress the audience. This is because of the way the industry is set up. There is no structure so it’s about who can get the most attention. That’s why some new artistes who are talented don’t get enough recognition no matter how good they are. Promotion plays a major part, and a lack of funds hinders the spread of good music.
I have the privilege to help upcoming artists to get heard. If you are one of those let's talk.
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White Naija Girl
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Why do some artistes "blow" while others who are equally talented never make it big?
I have always wondered about the real answers to these questions. Have you?
I think art is just one part of success, marketing is the second aspect.
People will accept an artist how he’s marketed. The art is just one part of it; the marketing is the second aspect. It’s 50-50. Without marketing it’s really difficult to impress the audience. This is because of the way the industry is set up. There is no structure so it’s about who can get the most attention. That’s why some new artistes who are talented don’t get enough recognition no matter how good they are. Promotion plays a major part, and a lack of funds hinders the spread of good music.
I have the privilege to help upcoming artists to get heard. If you are one of those let's talk.
Please follow on TWITTER : @whitenaijagirl
Please like & share my FACEBOOK page:
White Naija Girl
Follow me on INSTAGRAM:
@officialwhitenaiijagirl
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Official White Naija Girl
LOSING WEIGHT AFTER HAVING A BABY - THE NEW YOU
Having a baby changes your life for sure. Being a wife of an African man I know I'll be having a few children - which I don't mind, don't get me wrong.
But despite of the sleepless nights you have to be there for your family: cook, wash and take care of your husband. Life is hectic enough as a mother and wife; who cares about exercise or counting calories.
But why is it that others lose weight while breastfeeding and you are still struggling.
Let me tell you why!
You have a bad habit. It might be that you don't like exercising or you like eating a large dish at night. Whatever it is but you enjoy this habit. How do I know? Trust me if you hate something you can easily change it. If you love it you will struggle.
The difficulty of losing weight lies in the fact that we love eating. We love eating fatty, sugary, starchy food. But don't worry there is some hope out there!
This is what you need to do:
1. Link pain to the type of foods that don't help your waist line.
When you look at cakes, sweets, chocolate this way it is easy to stop eating them. Actresses do this very well. They would not eat doughnut because they linked pain to being big on next magazine photo.
2. Make it a priority
Some people cannot lose weight because they don't prioritise weight loss at all. They just say things like "it would be nice to lose weight". Make it one of the most important things in your life and you will see result.
3. Be the person you want to be
My friend said she would love to be a dietitian and inspire people with her weigh loss. But since she still has a significant amount of weight to lose she doesn't believe herself enough.
If only she would believe she is already the dietitian she wants to be. :She would feel and behave like one. She could practise telling people what to eat and how to exercise by starting to talk to herself as her first client.
These are my tips on weight loss after birth. I hope it helps. God bless.
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But despite of the sleepless nights you have to be there for your family: cook, wash and take care of your husband. Life is hectic enough as a mother and wife; who cares about exercise or counting calories.
But why is it that others lose weight while breastfeeding and you are still struggling.
Let me tell you why!
You have a bad habit. It might be that you don't like exercising or you like eating a large dish at night. Whatever it is but you enjoy this habit. How do I know? Trust me if you hate something you can easily change it. If you love it you will struggle.
The difficulty of losing weight lies in the fact that we love eating. We love eating fatty, sugary, starchy food. But don't worry there is some hope out there!
This is what you need to do:
1. Link pain to the type of foods that don't help your waist line.
When you look at cakes, sweets, chocolate this way it is easy to stop eating them. Actresses do this very well. They would not eat doughnut because they linked pain to being big on next magazine photo.2. Make it a priority
Some people cannot lose weight because they don't prioritise weight loss at all. They just say things like "it would be nice to lose weight". Make it one of the most important things in your life and you will see result.
3. Be the person you want to be
My friend said she would love to be a dietitian and inspire people with her weigh loss. But since she still has a significant amount of weight to lose she doesn't believe herself enough.
If only she would believe she is already the dietitian she wants to be. :She would feel and behave like one. She could practise telling people what to eat and how to exercise by starting to talk to herself as her first client.
These are my tips on weight loss after birth. I hope it helps. God bless.
Please follow on TWITTER : @whitenaijagirl
like & share my FACEBOOK page:
White Naija Girl
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@officialwhitenaiijagirl
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Official White Naija Girl
MY MIXED-RACE BABY BOY GOING TO SCHOOL
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HOW DID I MEET MY HUSBAND?
This post is dedicated to one of my blog readers that has emailed me regarding this topic.
The way a met my husband is actually quite a nice story. It all started in 2011 when I have already spent 3 years in the UK trying to find my purpose in life as a single person. Life wasn't easy at the time and I even had to move away from my friends because of a new job.
I had serious brainstorming occasionally about my career options as I have studied German and Dutch languages and now living in the Uk I had to use English every day. Teaching wasn't appealing to me anymore so I decided to start new things out as hobbies hoping to find my real calling.
One of my new hobbies became modelling that seemed to be an excellent socialising opportunity. I began to get new jobs and opportunities for photo shoots. Every night I was browsing the internet to find new adventures. I was using sites like gumtree , starnow and twitter etc.
One night I have found a free opportunity to build model portfolio in Manchester. Even though it was a bit of travelling for me from Alderly Edge where I used to live; I was excited about meeting new people and of course building my model photo book.
So I met the photographer, my future husband and we have taken lovely photographs. I have noticed the photographer was exceptionally friendly and intelligent. I even gave him a nickname "googleboy" because he wanted to find out details about everything I said on the internet.
As a final picture we have also taken a group photo. But there was something special about that photograph. : MY BODY LANGUAGE lol
I have kind of decided to lean towards my husband leaving the rest of the group almost out of the frame of the picture. My husband first thought it was a mistake and asked for retake.
We retook the photo but my body language didn't change. He grabbed the opportunity and made the first move. We started talking and we ended up going out that night. We have talked hours and hours about ourselves and made sure we have exchanged numbers.
The rest is history. All that talking and a few more meeting led to dating and in 2012 marriage. Today we are proud parents and continuously blessed people.
The way a met my husband is actually quite a nice story. It all started in 2011 when I have already spent 3 years in the UK trying to find my purpose in life as a single person. Life wasn't easy at the time and I even had to move away from my friends because of a new job.
I had serious brainstorming occasionally about my career options as I have studied German and Dutch languages and now living in the Uk I had to use English every day. Teaching wasn't appealing to me anymore so I decided to start new things out as hobbies hoping to find my real calling.
One of my new hobbies became modelling that seemed to be an excellent socialising opportunity. I began to get new jobs and opportunities for photo shoots. Every night I was browsing the internet to find new adventures. I was using sites like gumtree , starnow and twitter etc.One night I have found a free opportunity to build model portfolio in Manchester. Even though it was a bit of travelling for me from Alderly Edge where I used to live; I was excited about meeting new people and of course building my model photo book.
So I met the photographer, my future husband and we have taken lovely photographs. I have noticed the photographer was exceptionally friendly and intelligent. I even gave him a nickname "googleboy" because he wanted to find out details about everything I said on the internet.
As a final picture we have also taken a group photo. But there was something special about that photograph. : MY BODY LANGUAGE lol
I have kind of decided to lean towards my husband leaving the rest of the group almost out of the frame of the picture. My husband first thought it was a mistake and asked for retake.
We retook the photo but my body language didn't change. He grabbed the opportunity and made the first move. We started talking and we ended up going out that night. We have talked hours and hours about ourselves and made sure we have exchanged numbers.
The rest is history. All that talking and a few more meeting led to dating and in 2012 marriage. Today we are proud parents and continuously blessed people.
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