Dear Upcoming Artists/Musicians

This is an introductory article of the series lined up for you. However, we will take it one after the other, now let us proceed:

Strangely the music industry on the African continent has featured similar to the church movement in Nigeria. There used to be four to five big structures: the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, the Methodist and a few African churches. Which is similar to what was in the music industry: we had EMI, SONY, and a few indigenous giants. But just as the structure broke and people discovered they could established their own churches and record label, every garage or living room became a small church or recording studio, thus, it has birthed good as well as bad results.

The good news is that, some artistes who would beg around with their demos and were slaves to the record labels, as well as people who also felt a calling to preach but had not gone to bible school and therefore could not dream of pioneering a church are finding it easier to reach for their dreams.

However, the bad news is that the support structures are also gone. No more pastorate, no more assurance of salary from church headquarters’ or advance and promotional budget from the record label. You are on your own. Nobody will stop you but also, nobody will help you.

So where does thinking like a G.O come into play in music?

Who is a G.O? In Africa we all know a G.O or General Overseer is usually someone who established a church from scratch and built something we can all see. There are some traits that they have that makes them excel where so many have failed.

These series is based on studying those traits and imbibing them as we journey as musicians.

First off, we will take a close look at Data:

Data is your best friend

As artistes we are natural dreamers but that is where we mostly fail because we dream so much and we forget to set up a connection between our dreams and how to make it a reality. When we do, we equally forget to install the parameters for gauging between our dreams and our realities.

Everywhere artistes are advised to simply believe in their dreams for it to become a reality. This is a big misconception because you need to believe as well as understand the data involved to birth the desired reality you crave.

Dream, then Research: know the market, know the major players, and gather data upon data. Before you record with all your money, know exactly who sells your genre of music, who promotes it, which stations plays it, who is the best DJ to spin it, How to promote it.

Know where the money is hiding in your industry, how everybody is surviving in that industry or else your project will soon run out of steam.

Someone once said and I quote “a wise tailor measures once, measures twice, three times before he cuts an army Sergeant’s major trouser to adjust it.”

Whence the need for you to accurately research the market, to ascertain how it has sustained your successful predecessors’ till date.

If you do not know the market the market will not know you.

Data is your best friend not dreams, therefore obtain it and use it wisely!

Thank you.