Breaking The Lagos Monopoly – a Strategic Leeway to Entertainment Growth In the South
It is undeniable that African Enterttainment hub is in the West, Lagos to be precise. But does it mean we’ll all migrate there to make a name for ourselves? This pressure’s down the need to decentralise such dominance that grace may spread to other region of the country.
It can’t be a year’s task but if we are to even try then we must do more than talking and these are a few key plan to realizing effective results…
- Interact with the Big Foreign Brands…
- there is a lot to this move in the Hands of Show Organizers, Simplify the chances of home based Artistes meeting and interacting with the bigger brands in your events!
Let the Locals get to meet with their idols and begin to psychologically realize that this are flesh and blood like them too.
This goes beyond artistes to Artiste down to artiste managers, CEOs, OAPs, DJs Promoters etc. Every time such interaction occurs, there is communication of knowledge, ideas, hope and in the process a few break-in secret knowingly or unknowingly drops (you can’t fight what you don’t know) There always something to Learn!
- ENCOURAGEMENT OF INVESTORS INTO NEW MEDIA
The media is the Key Means to development of Entertainment. Instead of building big empty hotels where people only occasionally come to patronize, “Advisers to Billionaires”, please encourage them to establish digital TVs and Radio stations where endless cashflow will be reaped off commercials and a more decent Employment than bed dressers who might in some cases end up bed warmers can be Created for the greater good of the society.
The media outfits are the basic tools for image creation of this Entertainers (Movies inclusive)
For us to control the western influence we need to own our platforms. (You can’t go to Lagos and ask them why Dandizzy”s video is played once a week, but we can own our own Media houses where the focus is on us) Lagos left MTV for HipTv
- Manipulation of the Fans (Consumers) Mindset…
This is a very complicated part! It is where all hands must be on deck. All workers in the entertainment sphere must be harmonized towards a common goal at this point because, it is for the fans that the music is made and from them, the money is made too.
Take it back to the early 2000’s, could you tell a Lagosian to pay #5000 VVIP gate fee to witness a concert that had no foreign Star like R. Kelly and 50 Cent? man will readily think you’re mad. When the media (Bloggers, TVs, Radios, News Papers, Magazines and Influencers) took interest in the locals and started communicating happenings around this people (True or False) the Turnaround love seemed like a miracle…
This is possible anywhere BUT The Artistes must be willing to put in the work in Packaging, Branding, and creating happenings around them apart from dropping songs to keep the media talking. (People will start wanting to see who they’ve heard so much about)
- BOYCOTTING LAGOS AND OTHER EXTERNAL BIG BRANDS!
Now this is the radical stage where the fans are made to understand that vibing to Davido and Wizkid instead of Dandizy and Dr Barz is a crime in Port Harcourt (NOT BY PHYSICAL VIOLONCE OH). Imagine tuning to Radio Stations in Uyo and the likes of Ikpa Udoh, Brown Edu, O’giver, Black Alliance, Sir Wilker, Upper X, Sagas and the rest of them are receiving massive airplay all day!
NOTE: This won’t just happen abruptly, Firstly our A list must be established and willing to stand in place of the foreign brands consistently putting out quality vibes, the distribution agencies tactically fuses our fast emerging Stars with the foreign and when a perfect blend is attained, the Cut comes in!
Starve the people of Flavour and Force Young King Stunna, on them. Lybra, Young Bone, Feelingz, Rex Coded, Tossy Young, Pope Don X and so much more are putting out tunes enough to go round weeks to months to all year round and there is no such thing as Playing the song too much at this particular time.
The Bloggers and influencers are very much needed here… steadily filling the gap with gossips and update on Entertainment all round the clock, the TV stations not being left out.
- THE DJs and Mixtape Distributors’ contributive Efforts:-
Lets understand that all the above stated moves might get washed down the drain if our DJs still play Psquare instead of Ajebo Hustlers, Samson, Jasper Stunch, Eddybillz Emy P in Clubs and events. DJ Jimmy Jatt started the “Jump Off” and brought into limelight more artistes than any record label in Nigeria Music History!
The likes of DJ Iroko (Port Harcourt) Dj Bigscratcher (Uyo) DJ Peejay and the rest where all doing great jobs, at a time they just stopped trying, some migrated to Lagos and became upcoming till date and everything died.
We need more Mixtape with Local contents and Tittles on these streets.
Great music distributors like Ahbu Ventures, Orange Music, Danco Music, birthed the emergence of Timaya, Duncan Mighty, M-Kaze, Mr Drill, Wacomzy, Stero Man, Frank D’Nero Sky B and lots more since their Migration to Lagos, the South seemed to have completely lost it. This further affirms the relevance of street Mixtape in this break-in strategy… beyond having these mixtapes we need distributors putting in the works, selling out…
IF THE DISTRIBUTORS DON’T DISTRIBUTE FOREIGN BRANDS THE CONSUMERS WILL GRADUALLY ADJUST TO THE AVAILABLE AND WHEN DEMAND STARTS TO RISE THE INDUSTRY GROWTH PACE IS SET!…