How Much It Costs To Produce A Song In Nigeria

Music is that one thing that flows through your mind without your permission, it is found on the lips of all and sundry.

The only difference is what we choose to make out of it. While some people prefer to sing in the corners of their bathroom or while they are engrossed with work, others want to make something out of their musical talent.

If you are in the category of those who want to release their songs out there for the world to here, then some things you should concern yourself with are how much it costs to produce a song and also a list of the several music producers we have here in Nigeria.

The question of how much it costs to produce a song in Nigeria also depends on the capacity of the person involved in terms of monetary ability. There are various levels of music production which includes:

a. Self Production: For artists who want to produce a song but don’t have the capital required to seek the help of an experienced music producer, this might be the best bet but it is not without its disadvantages. If you can find a way around this disadvantages, then you are ready to shoot. By disadvantages, we will look at

b. Promoting your music after production: you will not have to worry much about this if a producer is in charge of your production; especially a music producer who is well known in the music industry.

c. Distribution of your music: Whichever way you choose to distribute your music digitally, you still need a plan for distribution.

You may not have the necessary contacts: when a producer helps in the production of your song, he/she might have all the necessary contacts that will help promote their releases. Doing it yourself means starting from the scratch.

Having considered the cons of self-producing your song, you might want to go for the other option if you can’t deal with the challenges of self-production

d. Seeking the help of a Producer: With the rising trend of things in the music industry, several producers abound making it easier for an artist to get his / her song produced. These artists have their different fees which they charge for the production of every song.

Below is a list of some producers in Nigeria and how much they charge per production:

a.. Shizzi: Oluwaseyi Akerele (a.k.a. Shizzi) is a Nigerian record producer and songwriter. His label ‘magic fingers’ has produced the likes of Davido, Wizkid, Runtown, Wande Coal, Meek Mill, Ayo Jay etc. He also got nominated for various awards ceremonies in the year 2012, 2013 and won music producer of the year in the year 2015 at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards. Currently, Shizzi charges a fee ranging between N400,000 and N500,000

b. Don Jazzy: Micheal Collins Ajereh is a Nigerian record producer, singer and songwriter. Chief executive officer of Mo’ Hits records and current chief executive officer of Mavin records. He has produced the likes of Dr SID, Wande Coal, Tiwa Savage, Darey, Naeto C, Ikechukwu etc. Rumour has it that he charges nothing less than a million naira to produce a track.

c. Cobhams: The visually impaired Nigerian musician, producer and songwriter is the chief executive officer of CAMP (Cobhams Asuquo Music Productions). He has produced the likes of ASA, BEZ etc. He currently charges about N 500,000.

d. Masterkraft: He is a Nigerian record producer, disc jockey, band director, pianist and song writer. His production hits include Fine lady, Kwarikwa, Girl etc. He currently charges N 400,000 for a track.

e. Kezyklef: South East best music producer Award winner 2014, a singer and a song writer. Charges a minimum of N 200,000 per song

f. Dj Coublon: Music producer of the year AFRIMMA Award 2016 nominee. He charges about N 450,000 per track.

g. Kiddominant: a Nigerian record producer, musician and DJ. He has produced for artists such as Davido, Olamide, Orezi and Cynthia Morgan, among others. He is credited to have produced Orezi’s award-winning single titled “Rihanna”. he charges over N 500,000 per song.

One thing to understand about these various producers is that if you do not work with them on their price, they might not give you the best if they have to bend a little to the amount you can afford to pay.

If you want a big producer, you should be ready to pay a huge amount; and not only that if you want a big studio also, you should be prepared for the expenses.

There are producers who will charge you as low as N 15,000 to N 30,000; one thing to note is this ‘ there is going to be a whole lot of difference between a song produced at a very local level and that produced at a much advanced level.

By local level, I mean producers who are just starting out and in local areas too. They will want to do everything possible to keep customers including charging very low prices.

Whether you can afford a big producer or not, the basic thing is to get your song ready, meet with whichever producer of your choice and explain your concept and allow him make his own contributions; they will kick off from there while you bargain with them on the amount you are willing to pay.

One thing to also note is that the cost of production is excluding all costs incurred if you are featuring any artist in your song i.e you have to pay anyone you feature differently from the production charges. Charges for promoting and marketing the album are also excluded.