BY Oladipo Akinkugbe
According to a report by music entertainment site nojustok.com, Nigerian event/concert promoters across the United states have come together to form a body known as the “Nigerian Promoters USA” to protect the interest of promoters across North America.
Their first line of business was to launch a campaign tagged #Wenobemumuforartiste to try to put a lid on skyrocketing prices Nigerian artistes charge for their US tours.
The promoters stated that in the last two years alone, A-list fees for several acts have gone from $5,000 to over $40,000, and with little or no sponsorship, they find themselves constantly running at a loss.
“Price quotes are out of this world and in fact have become just really colossal and not in a good way at all,” they said in a press statement.
“Paying more money for artistes (who are overpaid in Nigeria and have gotten used to it) than we are able to make has never been good business as it will never be! We do not do this for show; just like our wonderful artiste, THIS IS A BUSINESS. Business should make sense.
“Over the years, it’s been enthusiastic priority for Nigerian promoters based in the USA and in the ‘Diaspora’ generally to improve, expand and promote Nigerian (African) music to the best of our ability.
“We are based in the USA where it’s a third of the price to book a local talent (and by local we also mean internationally known, mainstream artistes) than the prices being pitched to us by artistes’ managers and publicists.”
The promoters decided to take a stand and boycott any Nigerian artiste with unnecessarily exorbitant fees. They also complained that Nigerian acts make matters worse when they come to perform and end up lip synching all through their performances.
“We would also ask and prefer that our artistes concentrate more on improving their acts or performances for their fans cause that’s really what this is all about.
“We didn’t become professionals to put together great international events to promote Afrobeat and get these artistes to where they are only to be bamboozled by a wannabe or a greedy manager or an artiste who just looks at us (and the fact that we live abroad) as mugus!
“We no be mugu and this has to stop!” We ask that when artistes are putting shows together, they should be musically involved and also have a stake in their own show. We are spending blind money on some monstrous atrocities presented as tours and performances.”
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