Big Budget Beats: Nigerian Musicians Spend N100m on Videos

Nigeria's Music Video Boom - N100m Price Tag

“Before, we used to shoot music videos for N1.5 million...”

Nigerian musicians are splurging N100m on high-quality music video productions, raising the bar for the industry. What drives this trend and how does it impact the music scene?

Nigerian music sensation Timaya, born Inetimi Odom, has voiced his worries about the escalating costs of producing and promoting music videos, which have now surpassed ₦100 million.

Timaya's comments challenged the common perception that Nigerian music artists charge excessively high performance fees. Instead, he highlighted the significant financial burdens associated with creating and promoting music, drawing a stark comparison to the relatively low expenses incurred in previous years.

The Port Harcourt-born singer, who rose to fame in 2005, recently shared insights into the evolving music industry, highlighting the significant increase in production costs. Specifically, he noted that producing a high-quality music video has become substantially more expensive.

“Before, we used to shoot music videos for N1.5 million. Today, it's N50 million, N60 million, even N100 million,” Timaya revealed, underscoring the drastic surge in costs. He attributed this hike not only to enhanced production quality but also to the hefty price tag associated with promoting songs.

As a 2018 Grammy-nominated singer, Timaya emphasized that artists must spend millions promoting their work after the video is complete, contributing to the overall cost. This increased expenditure, in turn, influences the fees musicians charge for performances, reflecting the shifting economics of the music industry.

The Grammy-nominated singer from 2018 shed light on the financial realities of music production, revealing that artists incur substantial expenses promoting their work after completing a video. This significantly adds to the overall cost and, consequently, impacts the performance fees musicians charge. “When you call these young artistes, they tell you N50 million, N30 million, because they're spending a lot of money and need to make it back,” the singer explained.

Beyond rising production costs, the 44-year-old singer also highlighted the current economic challenges facing Nigeria. Since President Bola Tinubu's inauguration in 2023 and the subsequent removal of fuel subsidies, the country has grappled with steep price increases and a heightened cost of living, further exacerbating financial pressures on artists and the music industry at large.

The renowned singer expressed concerns that Nigeria is experiencing an exceptionally severe economic crisis, amidst global financial challenges. He specifically highlighted the alarming rise in the cost of living, which has significantly impacted his employees' take-home pay and his own family's expenses.

“You don't expect things to be normal. Even politicians are crying, not to mention us. If you're not earning in foreign exchange, it's very hard to keep up.”

Timaya highlighted that while economic struggles are present even in economically stable countries like the United States, Nigeria's economic situation is exceptionally severe.