Channeling Global Benefits Of The Music Industry Into Nigeria’s Economy

It is no exaggeration to say that Nigeria music is dominating the world. In particular, Afro beats, Afro Music/Pop is taking over global music airwaves, virtual streaming platforms and clubs. The industry has come a long way, via the talents and hard work of Nigerian artistes and music producers to create good music and beats, and strategically market them. 

Decades later the efforts are paying off with artistes such as Burna Boy, Rema, Wizkid, Essence becoming global brands in Europe, Australia, and other parts of Africa. 

So, it is both understandable and strange when global institutes like Spain’s Casa Africa comes calling with the Vis A Vis Music Festival to help internationalize Nigerian music. It is understandable since Afro beats is one of the bestselling global cultural contents at present, but the timing is strange, considering this will be the eighth edition of the festival, having staged in Africa countries as Senegal, Cabo Verde, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. Why Nigeria? Why Now. Do we need this collaboration with Spanish Producers when Nigerian music is doing well internationally?

Mr Yomi Abudu of The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), the official partners of Casa Africa, a Spanish Diplomacy Institute and operator of Vis A Vis Festival (Nigeria) via the Embassy of Spain, Nigeria, describes the collaboration as a win-win situation. One, he said, will provide thousands of upcoming Nigerian music artistes international platforms and audience, and Spanish producers the opportunity to mine thousands of raw talents to refine into the next Burna Boy and Essence. 

“Whoever wins this festival contest (on March 23 and 24), it will be on record that its this platform that gave them their breakout, like the MTN Project Fame that discovered talents like Chidimma. They will perform at some of the global summer music festivals in Spain, and work with Spanish producers as well.”

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Abudu said about 100 upcoming artistes have registered thus far, for the festival contest scheduled to hold in Lagos. Post the registration period, Casa Africa will decide the 12 groups to perform at the festival in Lagos, from which two groups will be selected to sign contracts with Spanish producers, and perform at a number of summer music festivals in Spain.

To avoid the situation where artistes are exploited or signed onto a less than global standard contracts, or situation where foreign labels own rights to Nigerian music artistes’ songs, in addition to all the streaming platforms which means that the benefits of such partnerships or collaboration do not translate to the nation’s economy, Abudu said the NTDC will hold a roundtable with the Spanish delegates scheduled to arrive in Nigeria from march 22, 2023, before the D-Day.