Nigerian music executive and talent manager Paul Okoye, popularly known as Paulo, has raised concerns about the sustainability of the Afrobeats industry,
He warned that rising artiste fees and declining opportunities for live performances could hurt the next generation of musicians.
In a lengthy Instagram post titled "Afrobeats is dead", the founder and CEO of Upfront & Personal Global Management and One Africa Global questioned whether Afrobeats was slowing down or whether industry players were creating challenges for themselves.
"For over 10 years, Afrobeats has been one of Africa's biggest exports. It has opened doors, created global stars, boosted tourism, and taken our music to the biggest stages in the world," he wrote.
Paulo argued that while thousands of artistes are now making music, only a small number are earning substantial income from streaming, shows and music sales.
"Today, we have almost 10,000 artists making music, but only a handful are really making money from streaming, shows, and music sales," he stated.
The veteran promoter also expressed concern about the increasing cost of booking artistes, saying many promoters and corporate brands are struggling to keep up with performance fees.
"Artiste fees have gone so high that many promoters no fit book them again. Even big companies and corporate brands are beginning to struggle with these prices," he wrote.
According to Paulo, live shows remain the backbone of the music business because they create the strongest connection between artistes and fans.
He noted that despite Afrobeats tourism attracting international visitors to festivals and concerts over the past decade, the number of major shows this summer appears lower than in previous years.
"We are already in August. How many major Afrobeats shows have you really seen? E no be like before," he added.
Paulo stressed that his comments were not intended to blame artistes, managers, promoters or brands, saying everyone in the industry is trying to survive. However, he believes the current system is becoming harder to sustain.
"If we truly want Afrobeats to remain the biggest genre in the world, then everybody in the industry has to come together. We need more shows, fairer pricing, more opportunities for artists, and a business model that works for everyone, not just a few people," he said.
See the post below:
ID
