The Artistes Making it in the Nigerian Music Industry are Not from another planet.
The honest truth is your Nigerian music industry music career will surely fail if you don’t know the right steps to take.
As a music producer for the past 6 years, I have seen the same avoidable mistakes made over and over by artists and if you don’t read all the points below and take action on them, you are surely going to fail and it’s because I care about your music career, I would like to share these really important need to know information so you can have an edge over your fellow artist who are not serious about their music career .
If music is just a hobby and you don’t want to make any money from it or you feel you already know it all, you can exist this page and ignore all I have written but if you are one of those serious upcoming Nigerian musician who really wants to take their career to the next level, I wrote this article for you. Please read on and take action. Let us being
1. Develop Your Skills Beyond Average
There will always be space at the top of the mountain, because many people are afraid to get there and because it requires a lot of work and sacrifice. If you want to stand out in the Nigerian music industry, you have to be willing to stand out. It’s more about how well you do what you do than what you actually do.
There are A list artiste in every style of music who are making good money for their music simply because they are the best at what they do
Listen to what Beyonce had to say in an MTV interview
Listen to what Beyonce had to say in an MTV interview
“”I am a workaholic and I don’t believe in no. I don’t believe in I need to sleep. If I’m not sleeping nobody’s sleeping. I’m one human being. It’s a lot. If I want to be a businesswoman, I’m a businesswoman. Independence is not easy.”
Hear what wizkid had to say in an interview with top celebrity magazine
“There is no part of Surulere I have not done music….. I use to go to all the carnivals every December in every streets in Surulere; like Lawanson, Ojuelegba and so on. Nobody paid me money for performing in events in those days…”
Nothing good will come easy. Even if you some money, true and lasting success in the Nigerian music industry will require work. So you have to make up your mind. It’s either going to be all of your focus or prepare to be average
2. The Music You Do Is Not About You Alone! Write Meaningful Songs
While you have to understand yourself and give the best of you to your fans, you have to always remember you are doing it for them and not for yourself. Your fans are your customers.its not everyone that goes to clubs and get high.
People need music to take them true their love life, hardships of life and joyous moments. If you want to blow up in the Nigerian music industry, you have to leave old trends and look to the future. Adekunle Gold is a prime example of a singer who writes relatable music. On the international scene, Adele definitely stands out.
The Nigerian music industry needs quality and unique musicians, not copycats. You can only go so far trying to be the next olamide. You can’t replace him and people don’t need an inferior version of him. If they listen to your copycat style of him, they’re going to remember him more than you and that’s a recipe for failure. It’s ok to start out imitating the greats but you can’t build your house on another man’s land
3. Have A Clear Vision And Strategy To Get To Were You Want To Go
If you don’t know were you are going to, you will find yourself jumping on every band wagon and never going anywhere
If you’re a rapper, stay in your lane and make sure you are top of the line. There’s a large enough audience if you can find your niche. focus your energy on what you have and make it bigger instead of competing with singers especially when you’re not good at it.
If you’re a rapper, stay in your lane and make sure you are top of the line. There’s a large enough audience if you can find your niche. focus your energy on what you have and make it bigger instead of competing with singers especially when you’re not good at it.
Don’t make wishful goals like “am going to win a Grammy this year! “.you don win headies? Do people in your area Know you? Take it a step at a time. Start with your hood, then move to the locality, then to the state, to the region and so on. Create plans for each step of the way and put a timeline to it.evaluate your progress from time to time and adjust your strategy if you are not making progress. Get more ideas and education about the music industry and apply what you learnt
4. No Serious Record Label Will Sign An Artiste With No Buzz. Get Some Buzz!
As a music producer, I come across a lot of artists who want to get signed and they haven’t done any song of their own , not to talk of promoting it or branding themselves. If you are like them and you are expecting a record label to locate you and sign you , am sorry to inform you that you have been dreaming and you need to wake up!
I hear artists complain all the time that nobody is willing to help them but ask yourself, as a label owner, would you invest in someone you will not make any profit from? It was about 15years ago that a label will sign raw talent and process them over years to make them stars. In the Nigerian music industry today, you have to bring something to the table if you want to be sponsored or supported by anybody
5. It’s Going To Take Time And Consistency To Rise To The Top. Be Patient!
Wizkid did his first album at age 11 but got his first major recognition for a feature by M.I in 2009
Listen to what Olamide had to say in an interview with andre blaize ”. At a time , I practically lived in the studio having left home for good. It took me six years in the studio learning and being tutored all I could from ID Cabasa before I finally dropped Eni Duro. I never knew it would be accepted . We just did it and dropped it at the Sound Cloud and good comments were made of it.”
The law of seed time and harvest cannot be broken. Digging deep foundations for a lasting career will always take some time, so be ready to do the ground work for sometime. Studies have shown that it takes about an average of 10years for an artist to have arrived at the top of his career. don’t believe me read the biography of any top artist home and abroad and do the maths. If you can’t wait that long, you shouldn’t be doing music. Find another profession
6. Throw Pride Away
“You seldom catch 2Face show arrogance,” says Efe, CEO of Now Muzik Limited.
I have found the saying true that it is the empty drum that makes the loudest noise. Pride is hated by all, even those with pride and it doesn’t put money in your pocket. I have seen many artistes who have good connections but are unwilling to humble themselves before those who have gone ahead.
I have found the saying true that it is the empty drum that makes the loudest noise. Pride is hated by all, even those with pride and it doesn’t put money in your pocket. I have seen many artistes who have good connections but are unwilling to humble themselves before those who have gone ahead.
They want even their superiors to help them on their own terms. It has never worked that way. pride can destroy all you have been working for for years in just a few days and the sad thing is nothing the only thing you get from it is self gratification which will do nothing positive for your fans, music career and talent. You’ve probably seen that guy in movies that seems to get everything in life despite his rotten attitude but that guy in real life doesn’t get much at all. Even if he does, he doesn’t get away with it for long. Talent alone will never be enough. You need character to keep the doors and opportunities that your skills will give you
7. Don’t Forget That God Will Always Be A Factor
Music goes beyond the physical. If you think all you need to succeed in life is money and connections then you are in for a rude awakening. Weather you are aware of it or not, all that we do is influenced by the spiritual. God is the reason for your existence and acknowledging and relying on him will probably take you faster than anything else in your music career
8. Promote Yourself,take Steps, Nobody Will Do It If You Don’t
To a large extent, Promotion of your music is more important to your success than anything else. A wak artist can blow with good promotion but a dope artist will never see the light of day if he never promotes his song.
You need to start spending more time presenting your song in shows, networking and building relationships with radio presenters and djs and less time “chilling” in the studio doing nothing. Fans are more likely to download your songs and be interested in what you are doing if they have heard about you from a friend or seen your music on a number of times.
It takes the average 6 times of seeing an advertisement for it to start registering in the minds of a person so you have to do a lot of stepping out of your comfort zone but like they say, if there’s no pain, then there can be no gain and trust me, once you have overcome the fear of approaching people about your music, it becomes fun to do
9. Get And Keep The Right Attitude
Attitude makes a huge difference in the results you see in your life. You may not have any control over your circumstances and background but you can choose how you see your situation. Yes, there’s a lot that is wrong with our Nigerian government but joining the complainers club Nigeria is not going to get you anywhere. Be positive. Find the good in your life and be thankful for it.
That you are even able to read this article is reason enough to be grateful to God. A Negative outlook to life will drain you of the energy to improve your situation or to help you deal with it.
A major Characteristic of self made millionaires is a high level of optimism before they became millionaires and all poor people are always complainers. Don’t wait for success to come before you start enjoying your life. Choose to be positive and it will give you the strength and motivation you need to keep progressing in your music career
10. Invest In Your Music Education
The difference between winners and losers in any profession has and will always be information. What you don’t know will definitely kill your progress. There are mechanics you will not even recommend to your enemy but there are also mechanics who work exclusively for top government officials.
The difference between those two mechanics is information. Getting quality information will definitely cost you something but the difference it can make Is always priceless. If you are serious, be ready to invest in your self because what you can earn is directly related to what you have learned. While the internet gives you access to lots of need to know info, there’s a lot of miss leading info out there and learning the wrong thing is even worse than ignorance.
– This was written by a friend of Naijaloaded and a Musician.
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