This is how we can develop the Abuja music industry

The failed music industry in Abuja is not really a damaged system. It can be rectified but with the right tools. These tools are ideas, innovations, creative minds and most importantly, investors. Many artists in Abuja don’t even have the required funds to push their crafts to the world and most investors haven’t seen any need to invest their money into the music industry here in Abuja. The basic demand is good quality music from the Abuja artists but the supply is below minimum.

The entertainment lifestyle in Abuja is owned by the event managers and club owners and the artist are meant to be the life of every event, instead we are bound to import artist to give our own event life. We have lots of young talented creative musicians here in this city and it’s wise for us to harness these talents before outsiders wise up and come do it for us.

I feel utmost bad going for sold-out shows and not seeing any Abuja artist being a major headliner for that event, instead they act as show openers. There are still lots of artist in the city trying to do their best individually and it’s making a whole lot of sense. The music industry isn’t a personal thing; we all need every hands-on deck to have the standard the world is looking.

The solution to the problem is not farfetched. We have artists and show promoters doing well to promote the Abuja music industry to the world and we know if we have the right ideas, then there’s nothing that can stop it. The likes of Lady Donli and Psycho YP are probably leading the race but we have others ready to take the Barton from them and do a better job. It is a relay and it is a continuous process but we have to learn how to be better on our own. The world isn’t ready for what would come out of Abuja but still, everyone loves to be surprised with good things.

I have listened to few artists and I must say we are ready to push beyond borders. The artists are not the only creatives we need to put interest in because we have to build the industry simultaneously and we need the Producers, mixers and masters, video directors, fashion stylists, photographers, bloggers, models and influencers to grow together.

The music industry of Nigeria is situated in Lagos city but it also needs the capital city and we can make it happen here in Abuja. Having so much to offer and few to show wouldn’t make it happen. We need to come together, get investors and promoters to help push out these creatives to the world. We don’t have to believe that you can only make it in Lagos because many of our previous Abuja acts have all made it after leaving the city to Lagos like the likes of Tekno, MI, Peruzzi, LK Kuddy etc. Even some creatives who were still doing well in Abuja weren’t getting the required market so they had to move to Lagos also. Like the case of Gospelonthebeats and Speroach Beats. This city is a vibrant one and ought to be producing the finest artists to the world and hopefully we can achieve that real soon.

Written by Desmond Ike for AbujaNow