Nigerian Afro-beat musician, Yemi Alade says the music industry is under lockdown as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. According to the singer, the music industry is on its knees since 2019 as a result of the plague.
Alade said, concerts have been cancelled across the globe due to the new wave of the virus, many artistes have been forced to embrace new ways to monetize music consumption and initiate innovative models such as streaming and online performances. Others are also forced to look for additional means of revenue generation.
Sharing her thoughts on her Twitter handle recently, the Mama Africa crooner whose fan base cuts across the African continent and beyond, lamented that the music industry has remained in a bad state since the outbreak of the virus in 2019, saying some of her colleagues who have continued to churn out new contents in the face of the pandemic deserve to be commended.
Investigations by NigeriaNewsAbroad reveals that artistes whose only means of survival is live performances are left without work since the COVID 19 pandemic started. In a chat with Angela Davids, a Lagos based Live Band musician, she said, life has been hell for her since the pandemic began.
‘‘Things have been very difficult. My only means of livelihood is live music. I perform music with my band at events, hotels, and clubs all over Lagos but since the coronavirus plague started, it has been very, very difficult for me, even to eat.’’
‘‘ The government needs to put some measures in place for those of us who work in the creative sector. You can imagine what I am going through. I am a single mother and I have been a performing artist all my life. Things have never been this bad. I am not one of the big names like Yemi Alade, but I make enough money doing music in Lagos for more than 20 years now and I take care of my needs with what I make. Now, I just stay at home with no jobs, even the big artistes are complaining,’’ she said.
On the way forward, Angela said the Nigerian government should support live musicians. ‘‘They need to create some welfare programmes for the creative industries because we are the most affected. I am sure there are many people like me out there. Things cannot continue this way.’’
With the government believed to be considering the enforcement of another lockdown to curtail the second wave of the virus, there are mounting concerns among music stars in the country about the effect it would have on their music business.
Many top Nigerian artistes are worried about the spike in the number of coronavirus cases as they fear that things could get worse if they are stopped from performing at concerts and gigs as events unfold in the New Year.
The music industry has been hit hard by coronavirus with live performance revenue; the biggest casualty. A six-month shutdown in 2020 was estimated to have cost the industry players a fortune in sponsorships, with an extension being even more devastating.
In a chat with Blessings Keys, a Lagos based musician who is also into music equipment rentals, said,
‘‘I am a pianist, married with children. I run a music band, I also rent out my equipment for fellow musicians. What I can tell you is that since Covid 19 started, things have not been the same. Nightlife is dull. Musicians used to hire my equipment, clients hire my band for live performances, I play the Keyboards for fellow musicians at gigs. Today, we barely survive. Things very bad,’’ he said.