State Of The Music 5 Reasons why Nigerian musicians quit
Nigeria is blessed with abundant
talent, a pool so large that walking down the streets of Lagos, you are
more likely to see an artiste than a clergyman.
But
every day, many of these acts quit the music industry, choosing to drop
the mic, let their dream vanish, and chase a life of normality, while
many others still remain on course, struggling to become stars.
Pulse Music presents the top five reasons why many artistes quit music.
1. Money
The
music industry in Nigeria is an extremely costly venture, with little or
no guarantee for returns. Consider the amount of money which needs to
poured into a single act in order for it to achieve notable attention
and success. Most musicians are poor souls trying to earn a living from
their talent. The costs of reputable legal representation, CD pressing,
professional studio services and equipment, to name just a few, are high
enough to deter wealthy individuals from investing. More and more
musicians are still striving, hoping that they will be able to snap a
deal at some point, which would relieve the financial headache and
burden. So they keep going and going until the coffers are worn thin.
But still, for many, when is that break ever going to come?
2. Commitments.
Sometimes
artistes become distracted by off-the-mic commitments, hence they
eventually lose focus on the music and quit. This commitment comes in
many forms, from love, to a new hobby, to religion, they come in thick
and fast, making the artiste doubt the importance of music in his life,
and walking away from it all.
3. Team Splits
This
happens to everyone, as disagreements are a fact of life. However if
you are an artiste hoping to rise to the top, constant disagreements and
team changes do not bode well for your musical career.
Some
artistes lose key members of their team, and don't necessarily quit,
but they begin to seek new members. It's much harder to pick up the
pieces though if the team already have commitments to fulfil, and
agreements to honor. Although many people try to work out their
problems, sadly though, getting a group of people to concur with each
other’s opinions, future musical direction, (plus all the hundreds of
other little decisions and details that require unanimous agreement) is
more than impossible for a good length of time.
4. Pressure
play
Pressure is
universal, popping up in every industry or vocation. If pressure was
nonexistent, we would take a lot longer to move ourselves out of the
comfort zone and into the quest for growth. Musicians are under a lot of
pressure. These include pressures of getting noticed, pressures of
‘blowing’, becoming financially successful, and the pressure to be able
to pay bills.
Many artistes are unable to deal
with all of these pressures, and so they quit. How many acts have you
seen leave the mic for an office position? Countless.
5. Competition
We
humans are all wired to compete. It’s what makes the world balanced and
creates the best innovations on earth. Musicians in Nigeria face this
competition and it is set to keep getting bigger.
The
competition we face today is more remarkable due to the visibility of
artists online trying to make their way to the top. If we were to go
back to the 90’s and 80’s, we wouldn't know who or where half of these
aspiring individuals were. Or more importantly, what they were
releasing.
With this fierce competition, many acts
are blown to the side, and the pressure that comes with competing can
be overwhelming. This has made many artistes decide not to kill
themselves, and go chase glory in some other field.
Leave a Comment