Nigerian music star Ice Prince has opened up about the shift in how artistes earn money from their music, revealing that the royalties he now receives from his back catalogue on streaming platforms are far beyond what he could have imagined during the Alaba market era.

Speaking on the BlackBox Podcast, the Zamani hitmaker reflected on how the music business has transformed due to streaming as compared to the limited earnings of physical distribution.

"There is more money in music now than back then. With the streaming platforms, the pay is better than when it was at Alaba. The royalties I'm getting from my catalogue now are mind-blowing," he said.

Despite the song becoming a continental anthem heard across multiple countries, Ice Prince revealed he sold the album outright to a distributor for a fraction of what it would eventually be worth.

"I sold my first album for only ₦4 million to a distributor named Abu Ventures. The Oleku project, which was everywhere in many countries," he said.

However, Ice Prince was quick to point out that the deal was purely a distribution arrangement and not a rights transfer, so he and his record label, Chocolate City, were able to benefit when streaming arrived.

"I and Chocolate City still have the rights to the album. That was just a distribution deal then. But when streaming came, we were able to upload it and profit from it," he said.

He also disclosed the favourable terms of his arrangement with Chocolate City, describing the label as one that genuinely looks out for its artists.

"I have 70% and they have 30%. They have the best deals for artistes," he said.

Watch the video below:

❝ I made only ₦4 million from my Oleku project, which I dropped in 2010, despite its worldwide success. The streaming era now pays better than we used to earn during the Alaba days.

Chocolate City’s deal was 70% for the artist and 30% for the label.❞

— Ice Prince pic.twitter.com/W0oLvFXnVa

— SKB (@seyikanbai) August 6, 2026