The Business Overview
Having clarified that, the number of musicians coming out each day in Nigeria is indeed high. Sometimes I wonder whether the music industry is big enough or very resourceful to handle such a number. But as I consider this, the fact that not all musicians will become successful hits me. And that is true.
It may not necessarily be because they cannot sing (which is actually a determining factor), it is because other factors relevant for success were or are not being considered.
Be that as it may, being a successful musician in Nigeria is very possible. Any musician with such aspirations just has to be strategic about it and before long they’ll be the next best thing.
Read Also: How To Be A Music Producer In Nigeria
Market Structure, Demand & Profitability
The industry is all about passion, of true art, of real artists and as such, you can’t go any further in the Nigerian music industry if you don’t have the qualities to make it.
This is a place for performers. That is, people with the heart to tell a story in an emotional, sometimes, scary or exciting ways.
A research that was conducted showed that, as at 2015, Nigerian music industry was worth $47 million and the figure is expected to be doubled up by 2020. Because every tribe, ethnicity, and nationality love music perhaps for its entertaining purpose.
Every tribe in Nigeria has their brand of music which they patronize, a tune they love and understand. So, how does one then become a successful musician in Nigeria?
First things first though, you have to know that on your journey to become a musician you are an ‘artist’ first, before an entrepreneur.
Singing songs that can generate money is not a bad thing in the music industry but you have to remain true to your passion. To mix both great music and one that sells is possible by creating something unique and contemporary.
Read Also: Forbes Top 10 Richest Nigerian Musicians 2018
Steps To Becoming A Music Artist In Nigeria:
Practice First
After writing a beautiful song the next best thing is to practice it all-day-every-day. The more you practice the more you perfect the music, and also the more you perfect your own voice.
Practice is all that may make the difference between a music everyone will like and one nobody will like because as mentioned earlier, music is about performance, the better the style and complexity the better people will receive it.
Find a secluded spot to practice where no one will disturb your peace. If it helps to make a schedule but the point is practice constantly until you perfected your new song because nobody would want to hear a music stammering in-between, forgotten lines, a typical voice and such.
Get A Beat Done
Nowadays you can download beats for free from millions of websites, a simple Google search will reveal most of them although most of the sites such as iBeat.com clearly point out its for non-commercial use only, that is if you want to use it for your music you have to buy from the artists that made the instrumentals or beats.
If you are not willing to pay then avoid downloading from such sites and instead go for ‘royalty-free’ sites, where you will be able to use the beats you downloaded for both commercial and non-commercial use.
But one of the bad reasons why I don’t usually tell people to download a beat is because your song might have a different progression and a different key with the progression that has already been pre-recorded.
Another reason is, suppose you want to do a dancehall kind of music, your preferred type of beat might not be found on the internet so, the best thing to do is contract a person who can make beats and work with him.
Read Also: Top 10 Richest Musicians in Nigeria
Hit A Recording Studio
To record your song it is best to use professional recording tools to get a high-quality file format. Which is ultimately driving down to the studio, find a recording studio that knows what they are doing to record your music. How it’s done is you buy ‘sessions’, which is the time allocated to you, just like in a cyber café.
You give them your instrumentals to play for you while you sing the song along with it. Once you are all done don’t forget to collect the CD and the digital copy of the recording, and if it is in a weird format like AAC or OGG tell them to convert it to recognizable formats like the MP3.
Promote Your Music
Build a website, open and connect to every possible social media network on the planet. Share your music files and videos to fans on your social media accounts and the website. Try not to overlook YouTube, you will be found real fast there, it is the second largest search engine.
You could also try sending free copies of your CD to local radio stations to play your song. The point is, tell the world in every way you can that you are a musician and you have something they will love, shout it out really good.
Summary, Sustainability, and Productivity Tips:
Things to do so as to reach the top which you so desire to be are summarized below;
Sell Yourself
Present yourself to club managers, sing in wedding events, find any gig that is worth your time and get paid for it, some of these gigs really pay well. If they like what they hear they will keep calling you to come back. Doing gigs will give you the advantage of putting yourself out there.
Setup A Fan Base
To grow your fan base or get more famous you can also tap into this lucrative idea of being controversial. Some musicians are widely known today because of one beef or another or what they said or wore; the catch is to do something that triggers widespread commentary.
You may decide to BEEF a fellow artist in your song which is likely to incite a war of words between you two in subsequent record releases.
You may even decide to dress weird to an event, rest assured it will spur discussions on various media. Believe me, it works.
Read Also: Top 10 Music Producers in Nigeria and their Cost of Producing Hit singles
Connect & Explore
As a musician, you have to network to get your song sold. It is high time you started seeing music as a business. Advertise yourself, not just in words but with music, especially when you are just starting out. Do free shows so that your fan base will be increasing – this is vital for career growth.
Also, network with fellow artists because tomorrow they may be the ones to bring you up. For example, some artists have come into the spotlight through collaborations. You too can. Networking makes this possible.
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