Challenges in the Nigerian Music Industry

It took some time, um, all the times we performed

and did all the shows in the

Rutledge Groove, and all the time there

were no scouts to come to say, "Okay,"

because the way you scout football, footballers.

Now, there were no scouts to come and say, "Okay, they are great.

There are some good singers here." Because if we had the platform, I think we would

have e- even understood the business even more

and better.

Mm.

And then it would have been something of, um, because of knowledge

is power, you understand.

Yes.

Because we didn't have it back then.

You know, we didn't have that, um, um, information about what

publishing is, information about what, um, your mechanical

licensing is.

The, the masters and all that stuff as well.

We didn't, we didn't know anything about it.

We're just making records and you distribute.

That's crazy.

And then you just pay us how many you sell. I make a record,

I give you a master.

You sell 10, well, 10,000 copies, you pay me 5 naira for each copy you

sell, and then you can even give me an advance.

Mm. Mm.

And that's how we were living.

But Nigeria didn't even have a music industry at that time.

In- industry, exactly.

There was. It was just because of it collapsed at the

time.

When?

Because at the time of-

There was, there was a para-

There, there was, yes

... there was a pirate timeline.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, that's in the early, that's in early '90s.

Before, before the military-

Before

... yes

... takeover.

Yes.

Okay.

So, so when the military takeover happened-

Mm

... all the record labels left.

Fell off. Yeah.

All the European companies left Africa.

Companies, yeah. Yeah, Soniade was signed to one of those.

Soniade was signed to a show, yeah.

So we didn't have, we didn't have anything to work with.

Yes.

So we just had to just say, "Okay."

Start afresh again.

Let the music speak for itself. And if people like us and people

feel the vibe, trust me, the fan base grow.

And that was just the philosophy.