Comedian AY reveals how much it costs to bring top Nigerian artistes to comedy shows

• AY Makun reveals some Nigerian artistes now charge as much as N200m to appear at comedy shows.

• The comedian explains why booking top musicians has become a major expense for comedy show organisers.

• AY Makun appeals to fans to attend comedy shows for the laughter, not just the star-studded music performances.

The comedian made this known in a video where he appealed to fans to look beyond the musical performances at comedy events and focus on the comedy that brings them to the shows.

He explained, “When you buy a ticket for a comedy show, there is often an expectation that you must also see several top musicians. For many years, we made that combination work.

Since the beginning of AY Live, every major Nigerian artiste that you can think of, from Wizkid to Davido, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Olamide, Phyno, Psquare and others, has performed at AY Live in Lagos, Abuja and other cities.”

AY said the relationship between comedians and musicians was once built around friendship, mutual support and a shared understanding that both sides were growing together.

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He noted that the situation has changed as Nigerian artistes have become global stars with access to several international revenue streams.

“In those days, many appearances were made possible through friendship, mutual support and the understanding that we were all growing together. An artiste would just accept any reasonable amount and find a way to genuinely support you, but the industry has changed.

Today, Nigerian musicians are global stars. They earn from streaming, international endorsements, and several opportunities that come in foreign currencies, so they no longer depend on comedy shows for visibility

The reality is that if you do not have a strong personal relationship with any of these artistes, bringing them to a comedy show can be extremely expensive. You could approach one artiste today, and they ask you for 200 million; another asked me for 120 million. Even the one who hasn’t attained fame was asking for 80 million, so at this point, you have to ask how much it costs to organise the entire comedy show.”

The comedian also pointed out that booking artistes is only one part of the expenses involved in putting together a comedy show.

“We as the organisers still have to pay for the venue; we still have to pay for production, sound, screens, security, publicity, the comedians' staff.

Sometimes, the fee that just one artiste is asking for covers the entire cost of production.”

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AY stressed that his comments were not intended as a criticism of Nigerian musicians or the music industry.

He explained that the collaboration between comedians and artistes had benefited both sides in the past, particularly because musicians do not always have frequent live shows where their core fans can see them.

Turning his attention to comedy fans, AY urged them to attend comedy shows for the primary reason they were created: to laugh.