As a Nigerian artist, What does it take to be truly independent?
Record labels may no longer be the power houses they were years ago, but can any artist really lay claim to succeeding independently?
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Sometime in 2017, the debate came up in the United States over the chances of making it as a truly independent artist in the music industry, without any form of label support.
The case in focus was that of Chance the Rapper's rise to the top which is largely attributed to the online streaming platforms like Apple Music and Soundcloud.
The conversation got interesting as an Apple Music executive, Carl Chery, suggested that attaining the level of success as an independent artist isn’t realistic for everyone.
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In his interview on “Everyday Struggle,” Chery stated that ''Chance's success was “an anomaly” within the game. “He’s special... but the success is misleading”.
Back home, a similar conversation is steadily playing out and the man in focus here is producer/singer, Maleek Berry.
Born Maleek Shoyebi, the British born Nigerian artist first broke into the spotlight back home with his work on the hit single, 'Carolina' by Sauce Kid featuring Davido, but it was in 2013, when he produced the record, 'Matter', which featured Wizkid, that the larger audience took notice of his craft and identified him as one to watch.
It has been a steady but upward rise for the producer, who now rebranded as a singer/songwriter, with a list of singing credits that include singles like ‘Kontrol’, ‘Sisi Maria’, ‘On Fire’ and has put out two projects, ''Last Daze of Summer'' in 2016 and ''First Daze of Winter'' in 2018, which has led to him claiming that he attained the success all on his own.
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So it begs the question, is it possible to really be independent as an artist? And where then is the place of a record label in Nigeria?
What does a Record Label in Nigeria have to offer?
Before the boom of the digital era, the way music was consumed was primarily through the physical formats, in form of cassettes, CDs and DVDs.
This meant only people with the adequate funds could mass produce their music and distribute to the larger populace, and by this, labels thrived.
The 50s and 60s saw labels like Decca and Polydor transform unknown names into nationwide stars with the likes of Paul IK Dairo.
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The 70s was the rise of Premier Music, which inspired the success of names like Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe’s “Osadebe ‘77”, while Island Records also played its part in the career of King Sunny Ade.
The late 90s and early 2000s saw the rise of new record labels like Kennis Music, Westsyde Records, Littlefish Records, Storm Records, Dove Entertainment and more.
The more machinery the label owners have in place, the better chances of success for the artists on their platform.
Artists like Eedris Abdulkareem and 2face Idibia made use of the Kennis hype machine to its fullest, with the label not only ensuring they dominated the radio and TV airwaves, but creating avenues like the annual Easter Fiesta to help transform them into mainstream giants, while Empire Mates Entertainment (EME) provided the right conveyor belt for Wizkid’s development process and sound refining.
While the Nigerian record label system is an imperfect one, that falls short of providing what a proper label serves to offer, with many resulting to paying advance lump fees, and tempting the artist with house and wardrobe allocation, a number of them still engage in a wide range of functions including artist recruitment and development (known as A&R), music publishing and copyright enforcement.
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In a country where an artist cannot just walk into a bank to get a loan to pursue his art, the labels primarily provided the security needed to allow the artist to produce their best work.
The labels provide the funds to take care of the artists' promotion tools, from recording sessions to video shoots to radio runs and interviews.
Outside the vehicle for heightened promotion, record labels offer more in terms of structure and providing the talent with a team to work with, which includes the network in terms of event pluggers, marketing and press teams to push the music straight to the retailers and the general populace.
Who is an Independent artist?
An Independent artist is largely that individual who is doing it on their own terms, using funds from their own pocket or personal support system, but more importantly, holds full rights over their music, and making his artistic decisions without having to consult anyone or wait in line.
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Independent artists tend to have smaller production, promotion, and distribution budgets than their signed counterparts.
But is any artist truly independent?
Over the past few years, the Internet has become a game changer and labels are now having to justify their existence, which leads to them making insane demands spiralling into unfulfilled promises and a bitter contract situation, as witnessed in cases of Brymo and Chocolate City, Runtown and Eric Many, G Worldwide and Kiss Daniel.
Labels have lost its place as the old guard who dictates every single step, as the channel of revenues for music are no longer what it used to be.
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Physical copies have been replaced with streaming platforms and downloads, which have massively cut down the intense capital that would usually go into production and distribution, with more revenues coming from shows and identifying with brands.
We have seen record labels like Kennis Music who at some point housed upto 10 artists on it stable now down to just one person, while other labels that sprung up around a similar time like Storm Records, QuestionMark have all faded into the pages of history.
As time passed on, labels have had it tough, with Banky W's EME Records having to re-brand into being more than a label to maintain its viability, with only Chocolate City, Mavins and X3M sustaining a level of consistency.
The 'Do It Yourself' culture has seen a number of artists break out immediately after attaining a level of success and gathering some funds, but while the desire for artistic freedom has seen a number of young artists claim to be independent, there is really no absolutely independent artist in the industry.
For an artist in the diaspora who makes the return back to Nigeria to push their craft, there is always that one person who is familiar with the terrain back home, who believes in the talent of the artist and provides support in forms varying from placement on key platforms, introducing to the right people who can influence the growth of their music and even co-signs from established artists who announce them to a bigger audience.
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The peculiar case in Nigeria also makes it a bit difficult for anyone to claim to be able to succeed independently.
While technology may be providing labels with dark days globally, Internet is still quite expensive and as such traditional media continue to reign supreme, which is partly why none of the generation of 'Soundcloud artists' have really succeeded in breaking into the mainstream, despite the online buzz and followership.
Likewise, it is more difficult to have a really new artist emerge as the breakout act of the year, as labels would rather take their chances with already known names who guarantee some form of return in investment than take a chance in bearing the risk for a potential contract rebel.
Only a few artists on their own can really come close to what labels offer in terms of financial support, media influence, connection and exposure.
That is the reason why few names like Davido and Wizkid have stayed dominant on the scene over the years and no one seems to be close to breaking their hold.
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Music in Nigeria is suffering today because of the collapse of labels, rap fans point fingers at rappers who have turned singers for the downturn of the genre, forgetting that the finest moments of rap Nigeria was the period when rappers were associated with a label.
Examples of Eedris with Kennis Music, M.I with Chocolate City, Naeto C with Storm Records, Modenine with QuestionMark which led to his most commercially successful album, E Pluribus Unum in 2007, O.D with X3M, Vector with YSG and even Trybesmen had funds provided by Eldee to push the music.
No one really succeeds individually. While it is not impossible, the chances are very slim and the road longer and uncertain.
Labels may no longer be in vogue or be a 'cool term' for modern-day talents, but they are necessary evils that still have a role to play.
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