Nigerian music acts such as Wizkid, Davido, Tiwa Savage and Ayo Jay Are all lying in the same bed with Sony Music West Africa, that’s proof that African Music is growing and gaining rave applauds.
Talking to Michael Ugwu, CEO Sony Music West Africa at the African Business Review, one could conclude that a perfect business plan has been mapped out to foster Afro-Pop genre.
He said; “We’ve gone from a loss making start up to a break even type business, and now we’re working towards the real growth that we’re looking for. It’s only with this growth that we can reinvest back into the market.
We wanna be in a situation where we’re actually taking talent from Africa, actually trying to create a global contemporary Afropop Superstar. I think we’re at that age where we have that possibility”
Mr. Michael further explained that until the likes of Wizkid and Beyonce could be easily matched, then their goal is far from achieved. He also spoke on the challenges currently facing the music business and highlights transactional limitations with Apple music.
“We’re discussing with Apple and we hope that at some point they can come closer to the market with regards to payment. That would allow us to grow their sevices,”
As usual piracy is a key set back in Africa and Michael talks strategizing with Apple Music and other significant bodies.
“We’ve been pretty aggressive, we’ve been spending money in the market and that can only grow. It sounds a bit cliché or ambitious but music actually has that power within the local context of things.”