10 Ways to Make Money From Music in Nigeria (Upcoming Artists)

Date:

Are you an upcoming artist but wanna know how you can make money from music in Nigeria? You’re reading the right content that will serve you well especially if you’ve been searching for any of these keywords:

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I bet you already knows that entertainment industry in Nigeria is a very lucrative industry among others.. From movies to comedy, showbiz, radio and TV etc. According to recent reliable statistics, Music industry is the best performing industry across all other sectors in the country.

But you know what?

The competition is getting hotter everyday, making it somehow tedious to make your name (or stage-name) a well-know brand not to talk of making money as a musician in Nigeria.

Although the industry may not have lived up to expectations (to many upcoming artists outside there), but to be since, we’ve seen reasonable improvement in the industry across the globe. We have made our stand strong on world’s map.

You may have noticed that Nollywood movies are gradually getting better, music videos are now of high quality and many more, thanks to technology!

Amongst all industries in the entertainment sector, the music industry comes second to movie industry and that would be our topic but more specifically the aspect of making money especially for upcoming artists in Nigeria.

But you may be asking….

Can I really Make Money from Music in Nigeria as an upcoming artists?

The answer is YES! You can make some money  as an upcoming artists in Nigeria and at the same time, get more famous.

The reason is that; music is one good art that pays a lot, and the good part of being a musician it avails various opportunities of making money to you.  The likes of Wizkid, Davido, 2face, Dbanj, Patoranking etc. are good examples of how lucrative the music industry in Nigeria is.

Apart from buying disks in the market, these superstars in the Nigeria’s music industry makes heavy money.

To be sincere with you, these artists doesn’t rely much on selling disks. You know people from ALABA Market can make 30-in-1 music videos and sell at the rate of N150.

Do you think that’s how WIZKID get millions from these 150 Naira? I’m sure you understand what I’m trying to say.

Right now, the problem is how can an artist make money from music in Nigeria even with that tag “upcoming”?

I’ll be answering that question alongside other helpful tips for musicians. Please join me as I take you through the nitty-gritties of making money from music in Nigeria.

Top Ways to Make Money from Music in Nigeria

  1. Record a hit song

The first thing you need to get started with before thinking of making money from your music in Nigeria is to work on a hit song, also known as “banger”.

Take enough time to compose a meaningful song that will woo people’s attention. Try to do market research before coming to a conclusion.

This is what I mean by doing market research; take a look at what’s going on in your environment, jump to popular social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, check your newsfeed on Opera Mini, UC browser or other News aggregator app and ask yourself: Which or what type of song is trending and people will like to hear at this moment?

I’m not saying you should copy someone else. But you need to go with the flow to make money from music in Nigeria.

BUT If you got a unique style to give out, don’t hesitate to let it out.

Remember Naija musicians like Adekunle Gold, Kiss Daniel, Teni, Fireboy DML, the current street princes; Zlatan ibile and NairaMarley all rose to fame and money making artists with a UNIQUE but hit record.

  1. Market or Promote Your Music in Nigeria

There’s no way you will hear about Wizkid, Olamide, Burna Boy and other top musicians in Nigeria if they have not made enough sacrifices to get song heard.

Yes, they have spent some years working in studio, telling bloggers to help them hype their songs, giving DJs money to help them air their songs and so on….. This is a compulsory sacrifice for any artist aspiring to make money singing in Nigeria.

It baffles me if I look at average upcoming artists in Nigeria who keep releasing good songs but can’t help their own ministry. Is it because they’re stingy, too poor, lack self-esteem or not really serious about the said career?

If you want to make it big, you need to pay for it.

You can promote your music in Nigeria by:

  • social media
  • radio promotion
  • DJ mixtapes
  • and so on

Read this helpful article on how to promote your songs in Nigeria for more ideas to get your hard work appreciated.

  1. Selling Your Music in Nigeria

This is a no brainer! You don’t need to be told about this, but if you don’t know how to go about it, I’ll let you know.

So you spent a lot of money in the studio cooking up this great jam and probably a dope video to go with it. How do you make those huge sums back and get much profit?

The first step to sell your music and make money in Nigeria is to get connected with trusted marketers.

There are lots of people in the entertainment industry whose their  job is to market products from music to video, movies and all products of entertainment. Getting to know them will help your course.

You will get to meet these marketers by networking with other artists ‘who are doing better than you’ and they connect you with some of the best in the business. Armed with this information, you can go on to sell your music to a wide variety of audience.

Another resource you should is the media houses, more especially radio stations.

It doesn’t take much, with a little sum, you can visit any of the local radio stations, they’ll like to listen to it and if they do and find it worthy of airplay, get ready, your song is about to hit many homes will increase the demand for your song.

But hey, we need to go digital in order to fasten the processes of making money as an upcoming artist in Nigeria. I mean, we need to take the market to the global village, the “internet”.

I’m sure superstars in Nigeria and all parts of the world earn most of their money through the internet. You can also do the same.

I’m sure you will be thinking…….

Where to Sell Your Music Online in Nigeria?

  • Spotify.com
  • itunes.com
  • Amazon.com
  • Spinlet.com
  • Soundcloud.com

And many more but these 5 digital music stores are available for any smart upcoming artist to make hefty income in Nigeria. Try accessing the website addresses in a browser and sign up as publisher.

You know what? I can help you get your songs on these digital platforms only if you’re ready to pay for the service. if you’re interested, contact me here or WhatsApp me: 080 6886 6068.

  1. Start a YouTube Channel

You’re missing out big time if you don’t have a personal or a brand YouTube channel for your songs.

If you understand how YouTube works, I know you’ll be thinking that how can you make money as an upcoming artist in Nigeria with this video streaming platform.

Especially when you have no music video…..

Isn’t it surprising?

Well, this is how you can make money from music in Nigeria through a good YouTube channel if you’re an upcoming artist;

Start and set up a YouTube channel now, get a video editor or any body who can mix video using apps or software on laptop.

Now, choose a trending music video like “Wo!” by Olamide.

After that, record a cover song for the track that blends exactly with the beat and tell your video editor to mix the original Olamide video with your own cover song.

Give it a name like “Olamide ft (You) – Wo! Remix” and finally upload to your YouTube channel.

Note that I’m using Olamide’s Wo! as a specimen here. You can use any songs that fit your genre but make sure it’s hot and trending.

In my recent research, such tactics will definitely work because Nigeria’s people like entertainment a lot. I know of a YouTube channel that do something exactly like this and get hundred thousands of views.

You don’t need to be doing cover always, you can mix like 5 best video music together and upload or record a review about a particular song.

Now, I know you’ll be asking that….

Will YouTube Really Earn Me Money in Nigeria?

Yes, you can earn millions of naira from YouTube. This is how;

When you’ve reached a certain milestone of views and subcribers, you’ll then apply for Adsense and if you’re approved, YouTube will start displaying ads on your channel, from it you’ll start making money.

BUT note that the more views, the more money you’ll earn.

So, what are you waiting for? Start a YouTube channel today!

I can set up a professional YouTube account for you but only if you’re ready to pay for the service. if you’re interested, contact me here or WhatsApp me: 080 6886 6068.

  1. Song Writing

As a musician, you don’t have to sing songs always you’d have to diversify and songwriting is a good way to do this. Most music artists in Nigeria, the top among them do write songs for other artists and they do make money from it.

Songwriting doesn’t require much, in fact you just need you pen and paper or since we’re in a digital era, you could use a PC to write.

Top artists, like Mr Songs and Perruzi are among the many artists who have established themselves as top music writers in the Nigeria music sphere.

If you could write a song that make it among the hits, be ready coz more offers from top artists awaits you. You can even pitch them yourself.

It’s not that easy to get noticed by these superstars. But remember your goal to make money from music in Nigeria.

Let this goal pushes you to chase your dream as a songwriter. Get along with popular DJs and musicians related to your songs on Instagram.

  1. Get a Website or Blog

This is now getting more serious and important, don’t you think so?

Personally, I’m a blogger as you can easily guess reading this article and also, I have a seperate business website where I showcase my services (website design, blog setup, SEO, freelance writing etc..) and my previous job done.

This blog and my business website fetch me some bucks from ads, sponsored posts and getting clients interested in my services.

You can also use the same strategy to make money from music.

You can do this in two ways;

The first way is to become a music blogger. If you’re an upcoming artist, you can start blogging about latest music in Nigeria including yours.

This will let  you build your fanbase and be of great help to your career. It will become easier to do two things at a time; that is, getting huge traffic to download your songs and making money in the process.

The second way is to build a personal website for your music career only.

You can make money from this personal website if your performances and songs are recognized. People like individuals, brand and company will try to contact you for promotion deal.

For instance, Zenith Bank is currently using Emma Oh My God, a comedian turned singer as their promotional ambassador because of his uniqueness and passion in him.

Either the first or the second way, you can definitely make money from Music in Nigeria by having a website or blog.

Note that, I can help you set up a professional music blog or website for your career only if you’re ready to pay for the service. if you’re interested, contact me here or WhatsApp me: 080 6886 6068.

  1. Live Performance

Doing a live performance is one superb way to sell yourself out to a much greater audience with lots of top personalities in Nigeria. You never know who’s watching, what you’ll find out is that live show sells you out to even those who are not much of a music freak.

Performing at a live show shouldn’t be a big deal, if you’ve got the vibes, the audience will flow along with you. You don’t need to host a live show, seeing that you’re not financially bouyant, you just need to make yourself available for top musicians who will be hosting theirs and from there you can shoot your shot.

But if you’re willing to venture into it, go on and host yours  , be prepared to pay top stars who will be participating.

P.S. Ever heard of ‘stealing the show‘ you should do this if you can. Imagine hearing your name all over the place after a live performance, feels so good… right? It doesn’t just feel good, it’s a sign that the people are beginning to fall in love with you, in no time your music sales would skyrocket!

Performing live is a good way to make money from music in Nigeria and you should explore that part, your fans want to see you, feel you, to know you’re the real deal.

The top artists you see today do perform at live shows, parties and other events that fetch them money when they’re not in the studio.

  1. Join a record label!

I know is quite difficult to gain the attention of a good record label in Nigeria, yes it is.

But if you really want to make money from music in Nigeria, and also advance your career, then joining a record label is advisable. You may have heard stories in recent times linking the success of some musicians to their record label, those stories are quite true.

Today, there are lots of record labels available to join, you can choose one by doing what will amaze or impress record label owners.

A good example is REMA who gained the attention of D’Prince, Don Jazzy’s brother and today he’s a rising young star in Nigeria’s music industry under the umbrella of Mavins Records.

Another one which you may know is that of Olamide who signed like 2 artists (Yomi Blaze and Picazo Rhap) after seeing their amazing freestyles on Instagram.

Do something amazing and interesting, try to gain attention from record label’s owners, sign the written contract which should contain certain terms and conditions — in case of doubt ask for more explanation on what may not be clear to you. They’ve been stories about contract misunderstanding and you don’t want that to happen to you.

Reekado Banks, Korede Bello, Di’ja, Lil Kesh, Adekunle Gold all rose to fame after joining a record label.

Even, Olamide was from Codedtunes, Wizkid from Empire Music Mates (EME) and so on…

Bro, you need a successful record label to make money from music in Nigeria.

  1. Distribute Your Songs Online in Nigeria

Okay, you’ve started going through the processes of getting your song heard and paid.

But now, we want to automate another process where you’ll get your songs on both local and digital platforms for either free or paid download… We can achieve this by using the right music distribution companies in Nigeria.

Music distribution companies allows musicians, record labels owners, music bloggers to signup, upload and publish their music for sale (and/or for free).

If you choose the right network to help you distribute your music in Nigeria, then you’ll make money.

So now, let me tell you some of the best DONs in the music distributing business in Nigeria..

Top List of Music Distribution Companies in Nigeria to Make Money

 

  • MTN Music Plus – MtnOnline.com/MP
  • www.FreeMeDigital.com
  • SonoSuite.com
  • www.SepulChralSilence.com
  • Muyora.com
  • www.destinyrecordsnigeria.com/distribution/
  • TuneAfrique.com
  • fresible.com/music-distribution
  • https://www.jtvdigital.com/
  • www.songcastmusic.com/‎

 

And many more…

As said earlier, these companies will help you distribute your song to music stores and in returns, you’ll make money.

But note that making money depends on you and the type of your music..

If your music is good and you market it well, people will buy it.

  1. COQ (Consistency, Originality, Quality)

I’ll start first with consistency, a concise look into top music stars one would discover that they are known for a particular genre of music.

You may have heard of the saying ‘jack of all trades, master of none‘! It’s also applicable to the music world. You need to decide on one style of music and stick to it, so when you think about that genre, they’ll think of you. Michael Jackson is known as the ‘king of pop’, it didn’t happen by fluke, he was consistent with his style.

Next is originality. You can’t be someone else, trying to sing like other artists isn’t advisable. As a musician, you should see yourself as a brand and try as much as you can to promote that brand.

And lastly….

Quality! People one to listen to good music, music is sometimes prescribed as a non-oral drug that soothes the mind.

You don’t need to release songs on a weekly, one quality song that will hit played across the country will fetch you good money. Anything worth doing, is worth doing well, keep dropping quality hits and you’ll keep making money from music in Nigeria.

Rounding Off – How to Make Money from Music in Nigeria

Getting your career in music started in Nigeria might be difficult due to high saturation of musicians. For this reason, I’ve dropped some helpful insights for upcoming artists on making money from music in Nigeria, I hope its been worthwhile so far?

Don’t forget to contact me for any digital services, I’m ready to help. In fact, I can be your visual assistant to set everything mentioned here. All you need is to use your money and send me to go ahead. WhatsApp me Now: 080 6886 6068

Don’t forget to share this article with your friends by clicking on the floating social media icons, comment down below, subscribe to my newsletter and stay blessed!

 

Stephen Gbolagade
Stephen Gbolagadehttps://www.stephengade.com/
Stephen is a Frontend engineer, technical writer, owner and part-time blogger here at Gbolamedia, incoming data scientist, an enthusiastic cynophilist, and a curious introvert. Stephen is currently available for full-time, part-time or contract-base role. Contact him here: on WhatsApp or check him on Linkedin

7 COMMENTS

  1. B4 I read this I was like a blind and dumb guy to music.. but after I’m done reading, nothing could stop me from commenting.. God bless you sir and I beg you to always be helpful to we upcoming artists too..

  2. Thanks for your coaching
    may god continue to bless u sir

    i really need as an aspiring artist so that’s why i came to this site

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