D'Banj, Jason Njoku, Cobhams Asuquo, others attend 6th edition of entertainment gathering

The sixth edition of the Nigerian Entertainment Conference may have come and gone, but the event which witnessed an impressive turnout and rich line-up of speakers is shaping the direction of the Nigerian music industry.

Held at the Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, #NECLive6 was a success despite the heavy downpour as artists, influencers, industry observers, media and every one present were treated to an intelligent gathering focused on understanding the emerging markets, trends and opportunities present in the Nigerian music industry.

Speakers at the event included Jason Njoku of IRoko TV, Martin Mabutho of Multi Choice, Iyin Aboyeji of FlutterWave, D'Banj, Lasisi Elenu, Obi Asika, Cobhams Asuquo, and many more, with the likes of veteran broadcaster Jika Attoh and Lamide Akintobi, Morayo Afolabi Brown, Colette Otusheso serving as moderators.

The event which began with the rendition of the National anthem by alternative music act, Aramide was compered by Babatunde Adewale popularly known as Tee A.

The host of the conference, Adekunle Ayeni, CEO BHM gave his welcome address via a video presentation with Jason Njoku delivering the first paper of the day.

Panelists at the conference under the theme, ''Understanding Emerging Markets, Trends and Opportunities'' deliberated on issues ranging on the emergence of social media stars, the challenges facing the music industry, the brutality of the Nigerian environment, piracy, music distribution, the opportunities left untapped and many more.

Speaking at the conference, Comedian Lasisi Elenu, who gained prominence via his Snapchat filtered skits said, ''The new media has given a lot of people hope, I didn't have to go meet people, I just saw and opportunity through Snapchat and I took it.''

The comedian also stated that, ''I was once an artist, trying to get my songs on the radio before now, and I saw the type of contracts I needed to sign and it didn't work for me.''

On piracy, D'banj replied that, ''There is piracy everywhere in the world, in fact there is less piracy in Nigeria because we don't even have the original. What we need are platforms so we can deal with aggregators instead of directly with the artists''.

When asked how he has balanced being a performer and also be bankable as an artist, the Kokomaster said, ''There is a clear difference between popular and being bankable.''

''When I started, I discovered you can be popular and not have money. When you enter a room, even as an artist on stage, the first thing you need to do is to understand what the investors want and what is in it for them,'' he concluded.

A major highlight of the conference was the little 'spat' between producer Cobhams Asuquo and Lasisi Elenu at the close of the opening session. The producer had asked Lasisi how he intended to capitalize on his burgeoning fame and intentionally transmit it into building a platform for others to follow.

Lasisi Elenu in his response said, he was still at the early stage where he himself requires help and could not be thinking of carrying people along just yet, and jokingly added that ''Make una no dey ask me this kain question o''.

Other participants at the event included Dare Art Alade, Brymo, Sam Onyemelukwe of Trace Africa, Frank Donga and many more.

The conference was well attended and the organizers have been able to deliver a world class platform for engagement, debate, networking and progressive conversations on the Nigerian entertainment industry.