ARE WE MAKING THE RIGHT KIND OF MUSIC?
Wednesday is Music day.
Anyone who knows the unique make up of Social Media Week Lagos knows this.
Hosted by popular radio station, the Beat 99.9FM, the Social Media Week Lagos Music Conference 2020 is a big part of the week’s conversation.
And the conversations that made the rounds, without a doubt was big.
STREAMING AGAINST THE TIDE
The first conversation covered music streaming platforms, their many sided deliverables and how they affect the caliber of artistes that are churned out per time. Excessive reliance on music streaming platforms rather than organic brand building of fans has fostered the emergence of a new crop of artistes that crave listens rather than recognition.
FUNDING THE HUSTLE
Social investing as we know it is based off a series of complex metrics that is as vague as it is elusive. The financial institutions and investment stakeholders require a more structured and data-driven, business outlook, to be viewed as a potential candidate for investment and unfortunately many artistes do not have that particular ‘make up.’
Is there a way to apply intellectual property as an investment metric to acquiring funds, or is it all business from the investor’s perspective?
WOMEN IN MUSIC
Then we talked women.
The underrepresentation of women in entertainment and the resulting wage disparity was at the heart of the conversation. The panel addressed a variety of reasons as to the source and how it has crippled the advancement of women in entertainment when measured alongside their male counterparts.
INFLUENCER INFLUENZA
The elephant in the room was eventually addressed too.
The emerging crop of Nigerians who simply go by the vague self-imposed title of, ‘influencers’ were analyzed. Are they really economically viable, do they pull their weight in gold or are their claims of creating virality mere cheat tactics to fame?
The conversation defined who an influencer should be and who they are not (content creators) an JJld devolved into murky waters like their astronomical rates and penchant for quickly deleting campaigns after they had received their payments.
The sequence of events, curated by different facilitators and attended to by industry experts and stakeholders was a starterpack for any one crazy enough to venture into the fledgling world of entertainment.
