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SOUND STRATEGIES: The Innovators Going Global With African Music

Nigeria leads the proliferation of Africa’s new sounds in the West.



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In an Africa fresh from economic liberalization, music found
a new voice, thanks to social media and platforms like YouTube, Spotify and
Apple Music, which streamed thousands of African songs into the homes of
millions in the diaspora. 



The western world, suddenly, was introduced to Africa’s new
sound, Afrobeats. Free from the shackles that had previously plagued the
Nigerian movie industry, known locally by the moniker, Nollywood, artists, now
empowered with this new distribution platform, could begin to experiment in
different languages, sounds and genres that had, until then, remained confined
to only regional pockets. 



The past few years, however, have seen a rapid evolution of
the Afrobeats scene across Africa and Nigeria is leading its explosion
globally. 



Events such as the One Africa Music Fest, an African musical
experience showcasing Africa’s best and brightest talents, have solidified
Africa’s position in the global entertainment industry. 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-1030097404-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-39819" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-1030097404-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-1030097404-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-1030097404-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-1030097404-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-1030097404.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>BROOKLYN, NY &#8211; SEPTEMBER 09: Yemi Alade performs on stage at 2018 Essence Street Style Festival on September 9, 2018 in Brooklyn City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Essence)</figcaption></figure></div>



Afrobeats has not only captured a new western audience but
has also influenced the sounds of some of America’s biggest artists.



“Afrobeats is absolutely taking over. In 2016, Drake’s One
Dance, which featured Wizkid, was arguably one of the biggest sounds globally.
Then you had French Montana with Unforgettable, which was also huge and both
videos were shot in Africa. So, this thing is becoming a movement,” says
D-Black, a Ghanaian Afrobeats artist and founder of Black Avenue Muzik record
label.



It’s almost impossible to attend a party or wedding in
Africa and not be treated to one of Afrobeats’ ubiquitous chart-toppers. 



With hits from artists like Davido, Wizkid, Yemi Alade and
many more pounding out of speakers across the continent, the movement of
Afrobeats not only covers major cities in Nigeria, but also some far-flung
locales.



“You cannot really talk about Afrobeats without talking
about Lagos. The music scene is very fast-paced and colorful. Each local area
has its own unique sound. On the mainland, we have the heart music being pushed
by artists like Small Doctor. 



“We also have the live Afrobeats scene and then the Alte
scene, which is a different music on its own. People like to identify Alte
sound with the western crowd and mainly people who live on the island,” says
Paul Yusuf, DJ and founder of Music Revolution Nigeria.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">But that doesn’t mean that the artists are benefiting from the buzz. Similar to Nollywood, piracy remains rampant making it impossible for artists to sell their music. </blockquote>



“There are several ways of accessing music locally in
Nigeria, from the streets, where you have street vendors selling illegally
obtained music or in a well-known tech hub called computer village, where
consumers can download thousands of illegally obtained new music onto their
hard drive from as little as N2,000 ($5),” Yusuf says. 



“In Africa, the model is different. It is all about putting
out as much free music as you can without necessarily charging, then you become
a big artist once you have enough hit songs and then make your money back from
being booked on shows. When you think about it, some of the biggest stars in
the United States make most of their money from tours,” says D-Black.



Despite these challenges, the advent of Web 2.0 and
community marketing mean the Afrobeats scene has been digitalized, providing
savvy entrepreneurs like Don Jazzy, with a new revenue model.



“Back in the day, we didn’t care too much about online streaming platforms like YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify, but now it is a major focus for generating revenue. Nigeria still lags behind on online platforms but there are people in the diaspora who because of the growth and exposure of the Afrobeats music patronize us online by buying from these streaming platforms. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="685" height="1024" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-1026043782-685x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-39820" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-1026043782-685x1024.jpg 685w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-1026043782-300x449.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-1026043782-600x898.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-1026043782-201x300.jpg 201w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-1026043782-768x1149.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-1026043782.jpg 1369w" sizes="(max-width: 685px) 100vw, 685px" /><figcaption>PHILADELPHIA, PA &#8211; SEPTEMBER 01: Davido performs onstage during the 2018 Made In America Festival &#8211; Day 1 at Benjamin Franklin Parkway on September 1, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Lisa Lake/Getty Images for Roc Nation)</figcaption></figure>



“The numbers from Nigeria is not big because most people prefer to download from free sites and most of them use Android, boom play apps and others to get access to the music,” says Jazzy.



Born Michael Collins Ajereh, he is a record producer,
singer, songwriter and entrepreneur. He is also the founder of one of Nigeria’s
most successful record labels, Mavin Records, with a roster of stars including
Tiwa Savage and Korede Bello. 



He pioneered the proliferation of Afrobeats into countries
like the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) when he created his
first record label, Mo’ Hits Records, with former partner, D’banj. The pair was
signed by US music mogul, Kanye West, to his GOOD Music imprint, at a time when
the industry was still in its infancy bringing global attention to the world of
Afrobeats.



“Everything changed with D’banj. Oliver Twist opened up the
labels to want to invest in Africa because that was the first single that was
pushed by a label properly. Kanye West signed D’banj and Don Jazzy and that was
big news. When Mo’ Hits came out with their sound, it was easy to get the
world’s attention on Afrobeats, coupled with improved production and quality
music videos,” says the London-based DJ Flex.



According to Jazzy, the digital revolution of the Afrobeats
sound has led to the proliferation of the music into the diaspora, leading to
different sub-categories like Afro-pop, Afro-dance and Afro-reggae. This has
also affected the revenue model of the business.



“When it comes to Afrobeats, we have to look at two main
revenue streams. The type of songs that impact the clubs and Nigeria locally;
and secondly, the type of sound that moves numbers online, thus digitally. So,
you have to be very conscious of the type of music you make at the moment. You
have to consider whether you are trying to do this song so that you will be
popping in Nigeria and thus offline or are you doing the song for
international.



“For example, Korede Bello has Godwin, which was a very big
song offline and translated into him going for more shows and getting club
plays and party plays. But a song does like that, if you go on YouTube, Spotify
and Apple, the numbers are ridiculously crazy because the diaspora market
preferred that kind of sound and they streamed it more. So, you definitely have
to be conscious about what you want to achieve,” says Jazzy.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="725" height="1024" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/DonJazzy12571-725x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-39821" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/DonJazzy12571-725x1024.jpg 725w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/DonJazzy12571-300x424.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/DonJazzy12571-600x847.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/DonJazzy12571-212x300.jpg 212w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/DonJazzy12571-768x1085.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/DonJazzy12571.jpg 1450w" sizes="(max-width: 725px) 100vw, 725px" /><figcaption> Don Jazzy. Picture: Getty </figcaption></figure>



Social media has played a big role in this new trend by
making artists connect with audiences outside Nigeria. It has also influenced
the new sound of Afrobeats by giving Nigerian and African artists a window into
the world of pop culture in America by removing geographical barriers. 



“You no longer have to travel to the US to see what your
favorite artists are doing because they are all vying for attention on social
media platforms out of fear of dying out,”&nbsp;
D-Black says. 



With a population of 180 million in Nigeria, its music
industry is projected to grow, buoyed by the increase in smartphones and
platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. According to the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry,&nbsp; the global recorded music market grew by 8.1%
in 2017, reaching $17.3 billion that year on the strength of digital streaming
revenue. 



The big question is, with a largely unregulated industry,
how are these artists making their money?



“Money comes in when you have a good product and you make FX
from digital sales and when that artist starts growing and you go for shows,
then they get paid and you split the proceeds, depending on the sharing ratios
you have with the artist. 



“Different artists have different sharing ratios and that
depends on how long you have been with the artist and how badly perhaps you
want the artist. There are also endorsements from brands as well,” Jazzy says.



His Mavin Records label recently made news for securing an
undisclosed investment from Washington DC-based investment firm Kupanda
Capital, a firm with the goal of creating, capitalizing and scaling up
pan-African companies.&nbsp; 



“We are trying to build a long-term structured platform that
can connect African music on the continent and beyond for further global
consumption. We intend to use the investment for distribution of our own music,
product development and hire new staff to take the brand to the next level,”
Jazzy says.



The alleged multimillion-dollar investment by Kupanda into
the Nigerian record label presents yet another compelling case for the
Afrobeats genre, which presents revenue generating opportunities that are too
big to be ignored.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="706" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-831170890-1024x706.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-39822" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-831170890-1024x706.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-831170890-300x207.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-831170890-600x413.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-831170890-768x529.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/GettyImages-831170890.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>LOS ANGELES, CA &#8211; AUGUST 13: French Montana performs onstage during the Teen Choice Awards 2017 at Galen Center on August 13, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>

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