Skip to main content

How to make it in Africa's music industry

(CNN)Be it the Afrobeats of Nigeria's Wizkid or the melodic pop of Kenyan songstress Dela, Africa's diverse popular music scene is making noise across the continent and around the world like never before.
But what's the secret to making it big in this vibrant, expanding industry both on the stage and behind the scenes? Money? Loyal fans? Or key knowledge of individual national markets and the trends that shape them?

Music business moguls Audu Maikori and Paul Okeugo -- founder and Chief Operating Officer of Nigerian record label Chocolatecity Music respectively -- as well as industry experts and members of our audience shared their thoughts during a Twitter chat with CNN Africa.
Below is a selection of the advice offered up via the #AMM hashtag.

What are the three most important keys to success in the African music industry?
According to Okeugo, local knowledge and researching individual markets is key.
Meanwhile, Maikori stressed the importance of a fostering a reliable team and maintaining motivation.

What is the one thing people often do wrong when starting a music-related business?
A big mistake many people make, according to Maikori and Okeugo, is not being strategic with what they are trying to achieve.
Ensuring the honesty and originality of the music is also an important factor here.
This point was further emphasized by writer and music fan Hannah Ajala.
The MAPP Africa team, who manage a mobile app that promotes music, art, people and places in Africa and the diaspora, felt that fame and money distracted talented people from being successful.

What advice would you give to someone just starting a business in the African music industry?
Key advice here centered on the importance of differentiating between local markets and being aware of trends in different locales across the continent.
On top of this, Okuego highlighted the importance of not just limiting ambitions to audiences in Africa.
While Accenture consultant and music lover Nubi Kay stressed the importance of investing in your fans.

What's the hardest lesson you've learned working in the music industry?
The importance of being passionate about what you do came up several times in answers to this question. Without passion, most felt that the hard work required wouldn't be manageable.

What do you think will be different about the music industry in 10 years' time?
A bright future for African music, believes Okeugo.
Others predicted fans would have more say over the way music is created and that technology would evolve to make this happen.
Meanwhile, African musician Nuru predicted brand partnerships with artists would become more common.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

President George Weah's One Day National Forum Successfully Attended by 26 Political Parties

On Thursday, August 8, 2018, President George Weah had a sit down with 26 political parties of Liberia.  The meeting aimed at advancing ideals that promote the spirit of national unity and political tolerance between opposition political parties and the government.  ANC, LP and UP attended the meeting as a team. According to Deputy Minister Eugene L. Fahngon, Deputy Minister for Press and Public Affairs at Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs & Tourism, all 26 political parties attended and participated from start to finish.  Even though, social media was buzzing about AB Dillion walking out of the meeting, he walked out as an individual and not a political party, "the invitation was extended to political parties and not to individuals," Minister Fahngon stated in his live video.  Each political party gave ideals and recommendations, which made the meeting a great success.  According to  Deputy Minister Fahngon, "there will be future engagements as such.&quo

What President Trump and Kim Jong Un Ate

The historic summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continued midday Tuesday, as the leaders satisfied their appetites while holding negotiations with a contingent of advisers over a working lunch. The lunch, which followed a 45-minute one-on-one meeting between the leaders earlier in the morning and bilateral discussion with senior aides, was held at the Capella Hotel on Singapore’s Sentosa Island. It was far from an intimate affair, with each leader accompanied by a bevy of senior staff, according to the White House. Joining Trump were Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Chief of Staff John Kelly, National Security Advisor John Bolton, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Deputy Assistant to the President for Asian Affairs Matthew Pottinger. Kim was accompanied by Kim Yong Chol , the former spy chief and one of North Korea’s chief negotiators, as well as Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, former

Snapchat Slammed for Domestic Violence Meme Featuring Rihanna and Chris Brown

If Kylie Jenner ‘s stock-plummeting Snapchat rant didn’t make you delete the app, maybe this will. Over the weekend, Snapchat found itself in hot water after a now-deleted domestic violence meme featuring Rihanna and Chris Brown went viral. The meme, which was an advertisement for the app “Would You Rather,” asked users whether they would prefer to “slap Rihanna” or “punch Chris Brown.” Almost immediately, screenshots of the ad appeared on Twitter, with many criticizing Snapchat for making light of domestic violence. Is it just me, or is this ad that popped up on my Snapchat extremely tone deaf? Like what were they thinking with this? pic.twitter.com/7kP9RHcgNG — Royce Mann (@TheRoyceMann) March 12, 2018 Many considered the ad a mockery of Rihanna’s experience with domestic violence. In 2009, Brown was arrested and charged for physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna hours before she was to perform at the Grammy awards. Since the incident, Rihanna has spo