State Of Naija Music: Can Nigeria musicians still 'pop bottles' in this recession?

We are in a recession people. The country and all of its flailing economy have spiralled down into recession, as our Naira experiences an unprecedented depreciation against the Dollar, while there’s high inflation, a reduced population spend, and very little money available for a lot of things. Firms will cut back on spending, foreign investment will be slowed down, and all the available resources will be channelled to the basics.

MTN recently took a knife to their lengthy ambassadorial list and slashed away at eleven names including Davido, Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, Dr Sid, Sound Sultan, Banky W, KCee, Harrysong, Patience Ozokwo (Mama G), Timaya, Sean Tizzle. This is the start of it.

play CDQ (Lucci) 

What this means for artistes who rely on lump sum payments accrued from performances, brand campaigns, and appearance fees is that their reality is about to change. Less money in the hands of people means fewer shows and private concerts for the artistes. Couple this with the aggressive drive by the government to block all the avenues for illegal money to filter from the system to the political class and government officials, who would then appropriate some for entertainment involving a Wizkid or Davido performance.

The money isn’t there anymore. Or where it exists, the quantity is diminished.
What this further means is that these trying times have begun to affect the Nigerian stars. Your favourite artistes who stunt on social media with the ‘finer things in life’ would have their pockets strained. The flow of cash would reduce minimally. Only the true A-list stars who rely on digital record sales and international performances can continue to generate revenue on a stronger level. Upcoming acts, who have achieved very minimal penetration on the continent will be worse hit, as their income, which performance-reliant incomes will be affected negatively. And for those who haven’t even blown, investors will be hard to find for their music. Everyone is holding on to what they have at hand.

play Davido (FADER)

In other words, shit just got real; cash flow is stuttering, and as they say in their music, ‘they aren’t getting the papers and moving it in bullion vans’.

So with this new reality, how does the music creative process work?
The music process depends a lot on the presence of cash. Our industry, like many others, is capital-intensive, with very few people balancing the books. For many artistes, the expensive videos will be a thing of the past. Elaborate visual projects will become measured in its creation, with a huge emphasis on balancing cost and quality.

Where would help come from?

Help’s not coming. The Nigerian government continues to preach the messages of austerity, with plans to impose more taxes where they can. Everything relies on the economic policies of the government to revive the economy via a number of measures. Only then can the industry bounce back. For now, let’s all relax, chill, and try to get through this in one piece.