State of The Music 5 things we have learnt in 2016 Nigerian music industry

State of The Music 5 things we have learnt in 2016 Nigerian music industry

We have taken a step back, scanned through the events so far in Nigerian music, and provided five crucial lessons gleaned from the past months.

  

What a year it has been so far. A year where the music world was blessed by epic beefs between Don Jazzy and Olamide, Vector and Ycee, Shizzi calling on his lawyers to collect his pound of flesh from Tunde Ednut and lots more. Hpow about Wizkid, who proved his ‘street’ mettle by inflicting some good ol’ justice on Dammy Krane?
Pulse Music has been at the fore of the reporting and chronicling these events, with every happening, every tear, fight and comment going through these hallowed platform.
Now we have taken a step back, scanned through the events so far in Nigerian music, and provided five crucial lessons gleaned from the past months.
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Beefs don’t run deep in Nigeria

We all love a good beef. If Don Jazzy and Olamide's debacle was packaged and made into a movie, with seats sold at the cinemas, people would request for VVIP tickets. The reason is because beef makes the world more fun. But while the neutrals were screaming and generally enjoying the show, others were battling and feuding with their friends. They took sides, ruined relationships and burned bridges.

But guess what? These beefs don’t last long enough to be considered a thing. Don Jazzy and Olamide were exchanging bear hugs and back pats 48 hours after the first missile was launched. Dammy Krane and Wizkid sheathed their sword (or rather, left their glass cups), a few minutes after the battle of Quilox witness the first shots.

These beefs in musi don’t last long, and the reasons are stark; Our entertainment industry is extremely small. Everyone experiences an overlap with each other in a month, with a regular show at Eko Hotel containing everyone in Nigerian music.

Hit songs are harder to find

It’s the third month in 2016, and we don’t have a hit song. The New Year rolled in with so much promise. Tiwa Savage chose a transition or ‘rest’ period during the window between the end of 2015 and the start of 2016. That gave us hope. That gave us a feeling of momentum. We all expected a bang. We all expected the heavens to rain hit songs.

The Nigerian music savvy writers and media visionaries fed off this momentum and the contents rolled in. Predictions were made from where the next hit will come from. Who would be the runaway leader of the new year?

Go through the Nigerian clubs, and the radio stations and you find the hit songs on rotation are from last year. In fairness to this artistes, they are working at it to make sure fans get a hit song, and they get their finances up.

A number of factors might have contributed to this, and we can spend eons working out solutions. But the drought still remains a lesson; a hit song is harder to find.

New stars will have to work extra hard

In 2015, only three stars broke out. Kiss Daniel, Adekunle Gold, and Ycee worked their game up last year, and fortune smiled on them. Now they are on the frontlines, chasing very show, affecting more fans, and releasing good music.

To be an instant star in Nigeria, it takes a minimum of five years on the job. This year, the established acts are having a hard time with churning out hits. The new acts will have to work twice as hard, and pray for good fortune.

Intellectual property theft is now a thing

Prior to 2015, when was the last time people came out publicly to point fingers at intellectual property rights infringements and theft?

Wizkid and Dammy Krane were at war due to accusations of theft. Same as Shizzi and Tunde Ednut. Blackface keeps bringing on fresh news of the worngs he has suffered at the hands of 2faceIdibia.

This year everyone now understands the value of being rewarded for your craft, and hence have frowned publicly about cases of theft.

Content is now everything

This is something we have come to know now. Feature the best acts, collaborate with the biggest names in the game, have the best video director work on a killer visual for you.

But if the content of the song isn’t much, then your song won’t become much.

Technology has increased the choices of entertainment open to people, and new sounds are made available via every channel. To hold a person’s attention, a song needs to be spectacular and stand out from all the garbage that comes through the channels.