Exploring the Nigerian music industry: Where we are now: Nigeria has a thriving popular music industry/sector that through time has developed to reflect the country’s cultural diversity and has gained attention on a global scale.
With a population of more than 200 million, the nation has a local market sizable enough to support and secure the commercial success of the majority of artistic endeavors; as a result, most well-known musicians tailor their music to domestic demands. This is mirrored in the use of language, where regional languages are prioritized along with the appropriation of indigenous and traditional musical genres while adhering to the usage of contemporary music production and performance technology.
Nigeria has been called “the musical heartbeat of Africa” and is regarded as a bastion for African popular music based on her musical and cultural production.
While Nigeria’s present popular music has deep roots in the country’s traditional music practice and culture, it has also evolved as a result of, among other things, needs, contacts, foreign influence, religion, the country’s political system, the economy, and urbanization. These fusions demonstrate how culture is dynamic and how contemporary Western ideas, beliefs, and lifestyles have been incorporated.
Over the past few years, there has been a sharp rise in the number of international collaborations on the Nigerian music scene, including corporate partnerships as well as studio and stage collaborations. Beyonce, R Kelly, Joe, Nas, 50 Cent, Missy Elliot, Jay-Z, Sean Paul, Akon, FatJoe, Snoop Dogg, Wyclef Jean, Kirk Franklin, and Donny McCulkin are a few notable performers who have performed with homegrown artists on the Nigerian stage in the past. There is still a question as to whether Nigeria has a music industry that can support the vast array of its skills and musicians, despite these manifestations of musical vitality, overt worldwide presence, and success.
And if there is actually an industry it is apparent that it needs a lot in terms of standardization based on the concerns and expressions of its stakeholders.
Three categories can be used to group the difficulties and issues the Nigerian music industry faces; the informal music marketing system, and the copyright issue official government policy and enforcement are absent, and Artists’ inadequate understanding of the music business.
However, despite these challenges, the Nigerian music industry has continued to sour higher globally.
The Grammys are currently thinking about adding a “Afrobeats” category to the awards because of the exportation of Nigerian music under the banner of Afrobeats.
A special charting method called Billboard Top 100 Afrobeats has been developed by Billboard. Major venues in Northern America and Europe are being sold out by Wizkid, Burna Boy, Ckay, Asake, and many other artists. Every single British or American superstar also desires to work with Afrobeats/Nigerian performers.
We are benefiting from greater visibility, easier access to chances, improved production and distribution technologies, a decrease in music piracy, absurdly high streaming numbers (or song plays), and control over global music charts. The Nigerian music business is set to stay.
