GIANT STRIDES IN NIGERIAN MUSIC

Thankfully the good days are here for Nigerian musicians.When kris Okotie's Just for You album ruled the airwaves in the 1980's,even outselling its monumental forerunner I need Someone,the artiste was given a gold disc for selling 100,000- 200,000 copies - a rare fit that was usually celebrated by the entire industry.I also remember attending an epoch ceremony at the Eko Hotels where Sir Shina Peters was awarded gold discs for selling 200,000 copies of the then "national anthem" Ace and Shinamania.Majek Fashek however refused to accept the figure of 100 and something thousand copies which his record company declared for the monumental Prisoner of Conscience (widely reputed to be the most popular album after Nico Mbarga's Sweet Mother),and quit the label in frustration.

However things seem to have changed dramaticaly,even at a time when many analysts say that the music industry in Nigeria is dead!I've read no less than four reputable Journals report that P Square sold well over a million copies of Game Over in less than one week!I've also observed that most artistes with known hit records today ride flashy cars,dress in true celeb fashion,and generally live hollywood-like lifestyles- something that will make Alex O,Oby Onyioha,and Dizzy k curse their lucks for arriving a shade too soon!

Does this then mean that a viable music industry now exists in the country?I don't think so,but I think what the artistes are enjoying today is largely a result of the bold and creative intervention of Kennis Music about a decade ago.Apart from deeply traditional music such as fuji,we are yet to have a distinctly Nigerian popular music with international appeal,which is largely due to the failure of the system to exploit the huge potentials of Fela's afro-beat.We are still aping and copying foreign genres - which modern studio technology has made easier though.There is as of today no properly structured record company that provides all-round grooming and other label services for artistes.It is a hit-and-run system that exists,where the artistes cannot boast of any defined career path.

Credit must however go to the marketers for sustaining the artistes: at least piracy is now viewed with less disdain,eventhough it's still a big problem.Another major positive change is the fact that Nigerian music is played a lot more on the airwaves and on upscale nightclubs across the country;at least our studio egineers have become adept at sampling whatever beat the americans come up with,while the problem of intonation is eliminated by infusing local dialect into the vocals-so no one is pretending to be a Michael Jackson here!

A few artistes though are genuinely trying to be original in their works.Tu Face,Lagbaja and Asa readily come to mind,but songs like Sample Ekwe sound more like what the industry should be encouraging.In sum, I,m happy with the progress achieved, but there's still a long way to go.