Pandering to circumstances, Nigerian artistes are no more keen on profits from album sale, writes JAYNE AUGOYE
Two days after Marvin Records boss, Don Jazzy and his signee, D’Prince, were announced as the latest MTN ambassadors, the music makers are still basking in the euphoria of the feat. For Don Jazzy, perhaps the failure of the albums of his artistes to make financial returns can be overlooked as long as the endorsement deals keep flowing.
On their social media accounts, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Keek, both artistes have been on a celebration frenzy, thanking their stars.
The general lull in album sales, fuelled by activities of pirates and the growing popularity of the Internet and social media, has led many artistes to jostle for endorsement deals, especially in a bid to keep up with their ‘jet set’ lifestyle.
Nothing gladdens the heart of any artiste as much as patronage, either through sales or a simple acknowledgement. Sadly, this is not the case for many Nigerian artistes. One of the worse hit in this regard is foremost Nigerian rap artiste, ModeNine – real names, Babatunde Olusegun. The singer recently lamented that an album he recently released more or less passed by unnoticed.
“I put out a whole album and nobody cared. A whole 20-track album titled, Alphabetical Order. Nobody gave a hoot. Nobody cares. You see how the industry is. How do you expect me to feel?” The controversial wordsmith is
quoted as saying.
ModeNine, a one-time presenter on Rhythm 84.7fm Abuja, blamed his fate partly on the Nigerian audience’s lukewarm attitude to his style of music and a decline in album sales. Before one is tempted to say that the dark-skinned artiste, who studied Building Technology at the Federal Polytechnic Bida, Niger State, was simply crying wolf, it is important to ponder the fact that his scenario represents the harsh reality of the entertainment industry.
Unlike what obtained in the past and in other climes, a lot of musicians no longer depend on proceeds from album sales to survive.
That is why, apart from the likes of Don Jazzy and D’Prince, who are lucky enough to get endorsements, others with business acumen are falling back on various ventures, like fashion lines.
From dealing in clothing, shoes, lingerie, down to men underwear lines, there are no limits in the Nigerian artistes’ quest for survival. For these smart ones, pirates can go to hell for all they care.
As the pirates continue to bite their fingers, the proliferation of smart phones and a situation where many Nigerians now ‘live’ means that the average music buff can download his or her favourite songs or videos, as soon as they drop. Worse still, most of these downloads are free.
The option for many musicians at present is to trade with digital music companies like Spinlet, iRoking and YSGHub, which have, however, yet to firmly find their feet in the Nigerian market
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