Business/Career opportunities in the Nigerian music/entertainment industry

It is with great pleasure I serve.

To welcome you, I decided to offer you this service of bringing to you business opportunities that lurk in the Nigerian music industry.  To you, the industry might seem crowded, but it’s not.  Do you think there are too much people doing music?  You need to know there will always be more people coming on the train whether you think they do good music or not.  If they believe they can who would stop them?  Well, only the outcome –the reaction of the market could. Yet, it’s the more the merrier, the more opportunities and the more attention the industry gets home and abroad. And this is why excellence is highly needed.

There is still a need for professionalism in many aspects and there can never be enough of music business practitioners.  If you’ve been thinking of joining in with those who have been doing their very best, you are welcome.  I believe what matters is your knowledge, skill, uniqueness and that you deliver an excellent service.  Above all ‘character’ is essential just as it is in other professions. 

Below is a list of areas where you can be involved in the Nigerian music industry if you’ve been thinking about it and are serious about it.  And I beckon that you come in to add to the development of the industry and not just to take from it or see what’s in it for you.

So here’s your ticket.  Stop sitting on your couch and criticizing every mediocrity you see on your TV screen, join in not just to contribute your quota but also to get you in business.

Artiste Manager: if you’ve got some business experience and a passion for music.

‘An artiste manager does everything the artiste cannot or will not do in term of planning, organisation and negotiation.  Effective and creative managers do a lot more besides.  In the music business the manager’s job is not always clear cut. To manage properly you need a strong element of creativity and patience.’

I believe if you have a good business sense and are a good team player you can take a shot at artiste management.  One more thing, it is good if you get a basic understanding of the music business environment.  Also it will be very helpful if you have some belief in whatever band or artiste you have chosen to manage. If it’s going to be your first time, it is wise you approach a practicing artiste manager for consultation. There’s a whole bunch of promising artistes with good music out there who crave for a committed manager. Warning! This is not an easy task.

Agents:  if you can deliver...

“Agents usually operate somewhere between the artiste (or artiste’s manager) and the promoter.  Agents take on a number of artistes and try to sell their live act to promoters, in return for a commission from the artiste on the earnings of the live work acquired.  When promoters are looking for acts to use for promoting live events it is agents who they will turn to for high earning potential acts.

Agents get gigs for artistes for a price.

If you are an agent and you have say 10 acts. It is your responsibility to get them as many concerts and as good as possible a fee for those concerts. You are to approach promoters saying at my acts are the best on the scene for the price and you are to show them all the promotional material, including cds, records, reviews, etc of those acts in the hope of convincing the promoter that he will make some money if he promotes your acts.

The difference between a manager and an agent is that the agent’s responsibility is getting personal live appearances for the artiste.”

Business Consultant: if you’ve being involved in business consulting and can recognize business opportunities...

Music people are fast becoming business conscious taking a cue from successful music acts.  Business is Business.  Business is all activity done to generate profit. You have to study the industry and the industry beyond. What are the trends?  What are the various ways of making profit?  There are music artistes who are prominent but are not fully utilizing all there is to their brand.  It is usually because they don’t know how to recognize opportunities or to create opportunities that will take them to another level in their careers –especially financially. You could work for, partner with or be the exclusive consultant for a music artiste. I also believe you can meet with interested music acts for a consulting session.

Business Manager:

“Involves business dealings, legal stuff, join in bargaining (with studios, record companies as well as the media)”

You could work with an artiste who believes he does not require the services of an artiste manager but prefers to take care of his creative works himself.  Your job will then be to handle the business aspect of his career.  Also, there are entertainment companies owned by established artistes or persons who are just interested in the music business.  They usually have a couple of artistes under their umbrella; you could work hand in hand with such entertainment outfit by managing the business side.

Entertainment Lawyer:

Take care of all the legal stuff.

The constant tussle between artistes and record labels /managements/ investors tells much about the lack of attention to legal matters by both parties.  Artistes signed up to sing and may not be informed about the importance of understanding legalities like contracts and likes.  They need a legal instructor- in every stage of their career.

You can start by positioning as a lawyer fully available for music acts or you can simply tag yourself as an entertainment lawyer.  You should work out a flexible structure in terms of service provision and payment that will soothe both you and your clients.  I believe legal matters in any business activity should be taken seriously and not be ignored.  So any serious minded individual would be ready to pay whatever it requires to aid him or her in making the right decision.

Financial Adviser/Accountant-

Money, money, money...

There is graaaaaaaaaaaaave need for your service.  Ordinarily, the average man-Nigerian to be precise- has an improper mindset about handling money.  Proper accounting measures, control of income and expenses, recognizing investment opportunities amongst other financial stuff are all you need to aid artistes and their managers with.  You could work with them on freelance or contract basis.

Brand consultant-

One of the most important assets an artiste can develop for his/her self/career/business is a powerful brand.  I need (sobs...sobs..)..I need smart brand peeps to join me and preach this music brand gospel. Let’s hold our strategy notes, wear our creative robes, get on board and scream ‘PUT YOUR MONEY BEHIND YOUR BRAND’.

Publicists-

“Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject.  It is directed at earning unbiased media coverage.”

In this case, your job is to generate and manage publicity for the public figure- i. e celebrity- spreading information to gain public awareness for him/her.  Your goal is to get your client's information to the media in order to obtain coverage for the client and it’s CD, show, event, etc.

You can work for a record label, an artist or any entertainment company to as a staff publicist who gets their information to the media that covers music: reviewers, critics, writers, radio programmers, television producers, internet editors, etc.

Or you can work as an independent publicist with your own outfit so you handle multiple clients.  You can act as a consultant to a label, artist or an entertainment company for agreed-upon periods of time and money.

PR-

“Public Relations is a broader field that encompasses publicity, but also includes such things as investor relations, crisis communications, special events and sponsorships, and other activities designed to mold opinion”.

You are required to maintain the public image of your client celebrity; to manage communication between him/her and his/her publics.

I’ve seen many a crisis involving big music acts just go by without a reaction from them or any representative of theirs.  And I’m wondering ‘Haba! Can’t they afford to get a PR person to clear this mess? ’

There are a whole lot more but I don’t want to bore you cos this post is getting too long. Se?  Below are a few existing ones but still very much needed in the entertainment world.

Image consultants (Stylist/wardrobe/personal shopper): Make ‘em look good always.

Security: Bodyguards to be precise. This is not just for the safety of the celebrity but for keeping them from being mobbed by over excited fans who prefer to show their love by jumping on them and ripping off their clothes.  I know security outfits or agencies offer freelance services to entertainment companies. You could venture into this one, have your own bunch of bodyguards then provide them on contract for celebrities when they have shows or on a full time basis. Of course you have to do your feasibility study first.

Make over: The makeover business seem to be overcrowded but there is this demand for extraordinary makeup artistes who will create that wow factor in music videos and events. Also there is the need for music acts to have their very own make over artiste.  Artistes always have one event or the other to attend. If you are into makeover, you could begin to position yourself as a professional.

Special car rentals- for events- For those who want to land big at shows and prestigious events.

Fashion designers, Choreographer/Dancers, Hair stylists...

Do a list of what you see regularly and don’t like about how things are done and see how you can meet up that need.  Instead of sitting in your couch and ... nah! I won’t repeat the statement.

Now I have bribed you. Come back tomorrow. (Batting  my eyelids).