The Nigerian music industry is enjoying a boom no doubt. Artistes are snapping up multi-million naira deals left right and centre and smiling to the bank. So strong is this new awakening that gone are the days when musicians were seen as never-do-wells. And guess what; schools are cashing on the opportunity by introducing music into their curriculum and the catch-them-young bug has bitten Nigerian parents as they now go the extra mile to purchase musical instruments for their children as the drive to replicate WizKid and Davido in their off springs goes into overdrive.
And what is more? Corporate bodies are not left out of the scramble as brand managers have discovered the awesome power of music in driving their products and this has given birth to a multi-million naira industry. But the question is, how has the boom reflected on the goose that lays the golden egg? How has the boom impacted the lives and careers of the majority of Nigerian musicians?
The Nigerian music industry has definitely come a long way against the backdrop of the dark ages of the late 80s to late 1990s which witnessed the total meltdown of structures which once made it the envy of the world as legends like James Brown, Paul McCartney and drummer, Jim Baker, either relocated to the country to pursue their careers or came here to record platinum selling albums in their search for African sound. Those were the years when Oliver De Coque’s album, Identity, sold over two million copies and Fela rejected an offer of $100,000 USD to remix his songs by his American manager, Jim Bishop.
However, with the downturn in Nigeria’s economic fortunes in the early 80s, the music industry was one of the first casualties as it was hard hit and this gave rise to piracy which ultimately led to the exit of the big three labels, Sony Music, Premier Music and Polygram from Nigeria. Their exit created a shock which culminated in runaway piracy which crippled the industry and led to the relocation of a lot of artistes to the West while some like Bongos Ikwue quit outright and found success as a building contractor.
However, nature abhors vacuum. The vacuum created by the exit of the big three created a leeway for the rise of Ajegunle music which produced stars like Daddy Showkey, Daddy Fresh and African China to mention a few. It led to the rise of what is now known as the afro-hip hop revolution of the late 1990s thanks to Kennis Music, Ray Power and AIT. Ever since, the industry has continued to grow, attracting talents from the Diaspora, patronage from blue-chip companies and telecoms giants with Nigerian sound dominating the African stage and going global, winning rave reviews and numerous awards in the process and above all, laundering Nigeria’s battered image!
Despite these giant strides, majority of Nigerian artistes are still living in squalor and poverty. Nigerian artistes have no unifying platform – a sad development.
It is pertinent to note that the need for a strong and virile union for artistes cannot be over-emphasised because without a union, there can be no industry. Remember the African saying which posits that while one can break a broom stick effortlessly, the reverse is the case for a bunch of broomsticks. The baseline is that for artistes to enjoy the growth of recent years, they need to throw away their egos and belong to a strong and virile union which will protect their interests. A close look at the industry will reveal that only a fraction of artistes are beneficiaries of the boom. Is it not ridiculous that multinationals like Guinness, Hennessey among a host of others are declaring billions of dollars annually as profits but this is not reflecting on the majority of Nigerian musicians?
The Nigerian music industry is replete with tales of talented musicians who made millions of naira and then went bust before finally succumbing to terminal diseases that could have been treated. Why is it that whenever artistes are sick, they have to go cap in hand begging for a lifeline when in their active years they worked in a multi-billion naira industry? The reason is not far-fetched. It is the absence of a virile union which will not only protect the industry but also set up structures for its continuous sustenance and growth.
Rewind to 2004: Star Mega Jam and 50 Cent is in town. Before we could say Jackie Robinson, all hell is let loose as Eedris Abdul Kareem insists on being treated fairly like his American counterpart. Though he got the beating of his life and his career never recovered from the move, today, his fellow musicians are reaping the benefits of that sacrifice. All this would never have been achieved but for the sacrifice Eedris Abdul Kareem made when he put his career on the line to demand for equal treatment for Nigerian artistes. While various stories have emerged about what motivated Eedris to make that move, we cannot deny the fact that it kick-started a new awareness which culminated in the betterment of the fortunes of musicians. It is pertinent to note that before this, Nigerian artistes travelled by road to shows across the country in rented buses while their foreign counterparts flew first class! That singular move Eedris made sent a signal to brand managers that the Nigerian artiste had come of age and so should be treated right. However, it is not yet Uhuru as a lot still needs to be done to harness, consolidate and finally, maximise the potentials of the industry.
Today millions of naira is lost to digital downloads at bus stops and shops across the country. Alaba International Market, which used to be the hub of piracy, has bowed to the sheer power of the internet due to free downloads and this has created a new wave of pirates. Armed with a laptop and a modem, this new wave of pirates are robbing artistes blind, fleecing them off millions of naira on a daily basis but the question is, who will bell the cat? Your answer is as good as mine. It is these artistes whose intellectual works are being abused and this only further underpins the need for strong and virile unions which will regulate digital downloads and by extension, improve the lot of Nigerian musicians.
But the question is, are Nigerian artistes ready for change? Imagine what would happen if D’banj, Wizkid, Davido, P Square, 2face and some others stage a march on the Lagos House of Assembly to demand for the implementation of anti-piracy laws. The results would be awesome because of the influence they wield!
Twelve years after the release of Shakomor, the song widely believed to be responsible for the musical renaissance of the last 16 years, the Nigerian music space continues to grow employing millions of Nigerians and laundering Nigeria’s image abroad but majority of our artistes are living from hand to mouth. Consequently, the need for unity in Nigerian entertainment industry cannot be overemphasised. Artistes must put their egos aside and agree to work for a united industry.
A stitch in time saves nine so goes the popular English saying. The gains of the last decade and half could be totally lost unless artistes unite. Once more, the time is here, an opportunity is on the horizon for Nigerian artistes to unite and move the industry forward and bring back the glory of the 60s and 70s. But first, they must throw away their garments of pride and unite for that change which they all so desire.
- Gabriel is chairman, PMAN caretaker committee
