Putting Nigerian Music on Global Stage
When Matthew Ohio launched the ‘Industry Nite’ platform 10 years ago, Nigerian music was not too popular in other parts of the world. Today, the platform has toured African continent and the United States exporting Nigerian music to a larger audience. Van
Matthew Ohio hardly forgets a face. He recognised some of the artistes who had come to audition for his ‘Industry Nite’ show that afternoon. Some of them waved from a distance, others approached him for a handshake or a hug. Ten years ago, Ohio had the unique idea to create a platform for budding artistes to express their creativity and also serve as a networking ground for music stakeholders. Tapping on his social skills which he inherited from his diplomat father, Ohio set about business. Following the success of his 2007 six-city tour with music superstar Tuface which was sponsored by MTN, Ohio registered an entertainment company, El’Carnaval in 2008. Under the company, he launched the Industry Nite.
It was the place to be every Wednesday night. The who-is-who in the music industry gathered there to scout for new talents as well as connect with the reigning stars. Each edition witnesses at least 30 artistes scurry for a chance to grab the mike. Artistes like WizKid and May D, as well as other African acts like South African AKA gained prominence there.
Recalling those early days with nostalgia, Ohio said, “The first show featured May D. That shows you how long he has been in the business. And a girl called Ibiyemi. They were the first performance acts we had on the platform at a place called Coconut Grove in Ikoyi. However, it was 2Baba’s early endorsement on Industry Nite that really helped us. It pooled crowd to our show. Once people heard he was around, they come in large droves. Sound Sultan was always there too. Another memorable act was the late rapper, Da Grin. His first performance was outstanding. Then the tribute show after his untimely death brought the house down.
“It was at that show that people noticed WizKid. Many industry heavyweights were there that night. It really cemented Industry Nite as the industry’s platform for budding and existing artistes. The Mavin launch was also impressive as well as WizKid’s first Industry Nite at Oriental hotels. We even ran into trouble with the hotel management as some of the hotel’s guests were bounced. People parked all the way from Mobil headquarters. Everywhere was full. It was crazy!”
But things have changed over the years. The weekly soiree is now a monthly gig and still attracts large following. Also, Nigerian music is now well appreciated, unlike those days when it was hardly played in clubs.
“Five years ago, we weren’t that popular. The music hasn’t crossed over but now we have the Whites, Asians and Arabs playing Nigerian music. When we started Industry Nite 10 years ago, they used to bounce artistes in clubs in Lagos. I remember going to the club with a top Nigerian musician and they bounced us. Now if you want that same musician to appear in the club, you will probably spend N5m to N6m. Artistes are paid to appear in clubs. That’s also why we reduced our frequency because we believe the industry has grown to a bigger level, so the frequency was no longer required,” he explained.
Much of this success, Ohio said, is attributable to Afrobeat, a genre created by the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. To him, it is Nigeria’s cultural identity. “Afrobeat goes beyond music. You hear a lot of negative things about Nigeria from other parts of the world. From immigration to human trafficking, to financial fraud, drug trafficking, prostitution, money laundering. But the only time you hear something positive about Nigeria and Nigerians is our music. And it is Afrobeat music, the contemporary Afrobeat sounds. It is the biggest export we have now. People listen to Nigerian music all over the world. Even hardcore, hip hop clubs in America are playing Nigeria’s Afrobeat music. Likewise the mainstream clubs, they play WizKid, Davido, etc. That’s what makes people interested and intrigued by Nigeria. You see people who have never been to Nigeria do shaku-shaku dance.
“You see a lot of Africans in the Diaspora wanting to come back home due to the impression they are having about Nigeria through our music and movies. What Nigerian music has been able to do is to put Nigeria out there in a confident way. It has really helped the image of Nigeria internationally. People are now proud to be associated with Nigerian music. Back in the day, Nigerians living abroad used to deny their identity because of the widespread negativity attached to the country. I know some of my friends who used to claim they were Jamaicans or Carribbeans. The attitude towards us now has changed mostly because of our influence in pop culture.”
The popularity of Nigerian music over the years also opened up touring cities in the country such as Enugu and Owerri while cities like Calabar, Ibadan and Benin continue to steal the spotlight. He pointed out that while Lagos enjoys its commercial and entertainment fame, Abuja is gradually becoming the next entertainment hub.
Despite the achievements recorded in the industry, Ohio who is a graduate of Mass Communication from Ogun State University – Olabisi Onabanjo University – said the industry has barely scratched the surface. He added that the industry lacks the structure to promote music tourism. Music tourism, he pointed out, is one of the bankable ways an artiste can ensure his longevity in the industry.
“There are two major revenues for music business – touring and sales. If you cannot tour, you cannot make money irrespective of your fame. Today in America, artistes like Madonna and Celine Dion are still touring and making money because those structures are there. But in Nigeria, you will see that after an artiste has one or two hit songs, he is financially unstable due to lack of touring platforms. Nobody is booking him. Music tours are like your pension fund. It is what is going to keep you after your hits. You cannot be that lucky and have a hit every year. If you can’t tour to where your fans are, you can’t make money,” Ohio said.
As a result, most Nigerian artistes hardly tour Africa, despite the huge presence they command on the continent. Though he has been able to create a network of venues and promoters who are interested in touring artistes in Nigeria through his platform, he is expanding to Africa in order to deal with the dearth of touring platforms.
While providing touring packages will ease music tourism on the continent, he stressed that artistes also need to understand the nature of tours. He argued that most artistes overpriced themselves, making it difficult for promoters to get them on tours.
“Some of these artistes overprice themselves and they don’t tend to look at their environment. This sometimes makes it difficult for them to tour. Imagine expecting a promoter in Kaduna State to pay you N6m or N7m for a show. How touring really works is that artistes go into partnership with promoters and they share the profit. But Nigerian artistes want to be booked. They want to charge their full performance fee which is not possible. As global as Beyoncé and Jay Z are, they don’t charge promoters their full booking because they know they will make profits from other means such as sponsorships and ticket sales,” Ohio argued.
Nonetheless, he is optimistic that with time, the system will be restructured. No doubt, showbiz is a lifelong aspiration for Ohio. It gives him satisfaction that he is building a platform for the next generation. Perhaps, his greatest fulfilment is seeing artistes performing on the world stage – to boldly beat his chest that he was part of their success story. Not all the artistes remembered their humble beginnings at Industry Nite.
Ohio cited an example: “Before she (Yemi Alade) became popular, her manager used to come to our house to beg us to put her on our platform. Nobody knew her. We used to take her on our tours which cost us money. It was so bad that at a point another female artiste accused me of having an affair with her because of the way we pushed her out there. We even gave her one show in Cotonou. Then she released ’Johnny’ which fetched her fame and we were happy for her because that it is the whole idea behind Industry Nite, so that artistes can grow. Once we called her to perform at one of the Industry Nite shows at Hard Rock Cafe and she turned us down, saying that she only performs on bigger stages. Can you imagine?”
To mark the 10th anniversary of Industry Nite, Ohio launched the Music Assembly Against Human Trafficking (MAAHT) Foundation in collaboration with NAPTIP. The foundation is a global assembly of musicians and entertainment industry professionals committed to ending human trafficking in Nigeria.
Five years ago, we weren’t that popular. The music hasn’t crossed over but now we have the Whites, Asians and Arabs playing Nigerian music. When we started Industry Nite 10 years ago, they used to bounce artistes in clubs in Lagos. I remember going to the club with a top Nigerian musician and they bounced us. Now if you want that same musician to appear in the club, you will probably spend N5m to N6m