Nigerian music executive, Bizzle Osikoya, has expressed concerns that the music industry is gradually ‘crashing’ due to a lack of professionalism.
In a recent interview on CreativiTea, Osikoya argued that many industry players prioritize fame over building a sustainable structure.
Osikoya believes the industry’s focus on chasing fame rather than developing professionals is a major issue. He noted that many Nigerian artistes who gain international recognition prefer to stay abroad due to the industry’s unprofessional nature in Nigeria.
Osikoya said “It feels like the industry is crashing and the reason is because we are not building professionals.
“It’s more of everyone chasing to be in the limelight rather than building a sustainable industry. Everyone is just looking for the next person to make a superstar.
“That’s why we see that, a lot of time, when an artiste gets into the limelight and wouldn’t want to return to Nigeria after leaving for a while because they have seen how things work in other industries and they want to be more professional rather than being in Nigeria where it’s treated like a child’s play.”
Osikoya also highlighted the struggles of major international labels like Sony in Nigeria, citing a poor understanding of the local market. He praised a few local labels, such as Mavin Records, Chocolate City, and YBNL, for successfully navigating the market.
Emphasizing the need for more collaboration and partnerships to strengthen the industry, the music executive said “A lot of big labels like Sony are in Nigeria now but are not successful because they don’t understand our market.
“I feel like it’s only Mavin Records, Chocolate City and YBNL have been able to understand the Nigeria music market and every other person takes it as just fun and games.
“We need to realise that we all can’t have record labels so we need to partner more. But everyone wants to set up a record label because they believe they can do it. We have to collaborate, partner with people that are established.”
