The Sad Story Of How The Nigerian Music Industry Works -By Agwuma Kingsley

The Nigerian music industry is dynamic, it is growing immensely as every single year new creators are being introduced into the spaces; waltzing the musical soundscape with the nature and texture of their music to more than a 100million listeners who have found poverty as next neighbors in the country.

They are poor, however, without music what could come of their life in the wake of Nigeria’s confusion and chaos? It is the same reason an average Nigerian youth would resiliently beg on the comment section of their favorite celebrity to request an internet subscription, and when that request is granted, although barely granted, they flood Instagram to watch comedy skits which could momentarily take their pains away from Nigeria’s current dreadful state.

Those skits manage to ease their stress and when that subscription they requested earlier gets exhausted, they now encamp the DMs of these their favorite idols requesting financial help which is another way they hope for survival in a country where average University graduates are jobless.

In Nigeria, poverty is a common enemy and in churches, members are often encouraged to pray themselves free from this enemy. The rate of corruption and crime in Nigeria has continued to peak, and the creative industry is like a pathway for youths who can thrive in it, to have a big break from this common enemy.

These sets are referred to as the masses or minorities, and it is them that are often required to make a complete cycle of the “The rich gets richer, and the poor get poorer” cycle.

In the Nigerian music industry, that saying is our reality and it perfectly knots the flow of the musical soundscape, it is how the industry works. For instance, Davido successfully grabbed the attention of a large number of Nigerians as he earned more than a 150million Naira after he jokingly requested money from family, his friends, and fans through a viral video as he publicly exposed his bank account details through the popular microblogging platform, Twitter. He grabbed Nigerians attention in their numbers through that measure, it is part of how the Nigerian music landscape works. A Nigerian creator usually paves a path for themselves where they first grab your attention before ushering you into the supposed wave their records could offer, and all this occurs in between the buzz of those moments they’ve created.

Davido had a fair share of this moment after he successfully earned a huge amount. He had the average Nigerians talking his matter before he officially released the Amapiano “Champion Sound” featuring the South African Focalistic. The record was projected to soundtrack listeners through the festivities like his previous effort on the remix of Focalistic’s “Ke Star” earlier in 2021.

Although the record flew and created us moments of ambiance but could never replicate the same success “Ke Star” accrued, first breaking in the South African region and becoming a dominant sound in the Nigerian music landscape after Davido jumped on it. Portable Zazu has quickly become one of Nigeria’s street sensations after releasing a track with Poco Lee and Olamide on the joint, and the creator brings the street demography together by also gaining the attention of Nigerians after he had clashes with his manager and Poco Lee, accusing them of ripping him off his money. He became the talk of the Town not only for headlining the news but also for the sake of his record too.

Currently, he has released another record to follow the same template he curated after “Zazu”, which featured a plethora of creators. The Nigerian music industry operates with a creator who gets the attention of this bunch, the poor masses because they are the ones likely to spread a story and allow the creator’s art to sink. The poor are getting poorer, the same way the rich are getting richer. Your favorite creator would always have your attention first mostly when your focus has been taken from him, it is the same way when he successfully has this that you fill his pockets with your little penny through attending his concerts to watch him perform and also connect with the music: also by streaming his art.

Meanwhile, these same poor masses feel so entitled that their favorite acts owe them their voice to break free from the plights Nigeria offers them incessantly, well, it’s true they don’t owe you their voice either. However, they might still help you when they are moved to and not when you want them to. While your attention is all they want from you, it is how the Nigerian music landscape works.

“The rich get richer and the poor would always get poorer”