In Nigerian music, artistes have a culture of entitlement and it runs deeper than anyone can imagine. Granted, certain artists don't have money to pay producers, but they are still entitled.

In June 2019, I went to shoot an unreleased BTS at the studio of one of Nigeria's prominent producers of the new school. We had just finished the shoot when the apprentice to a legendary Nigerian artist called this producer's manager to ask for a beat.

This producer's manager told this apprentice that his client would work on the beat and send it over. At that time, this producer already had two hits under his belt. When the producer's manager dropped the call, this producer's manager joked to him that, "When I ask am about the previous payment, him say make we work on top am (laughs)."



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ucp6vpXrBtY

The producer then replied, "I for like nor send the beat, but wetin man go do?" When the conversation was over, I added two plus two and realized that the producer had made the last song that legend released. This led the music producer to get a deal with Kobalt.

The culture of artist entitlement towards producers in Nigerian music



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRIFPxsEweQ

In Nigerian music, artistes have a culture of entitlement and it runs deeper than anyone can imagine. Granted, certain artists don't have money to pay producers, but they are still entitled.

To the average Nigerian artiste, he is helping a producer by using his beat. To them, they are 'putting the producer on' by using his beat. The problem is that, when all artists think they're 'putting a producer on,' who will pay the producer?

Between 2008 and 2013, I was a producer. By 2010, I had started 'selling' my beats - or I wanted to. Yes, I was in my teens, but I never got paid by any Nigerian artist - not once. My fee at the time was just N5,000. The first time I got paid was $100 from a Detroit-based record company that gave me a production deal, I lost my mind.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DteoM5ZpVYc

Some of them don't even own a car. Except you are Sarz, Don Jazzy, Shizzy, ID Cabasa or Gospel - who branched into playing live shows, 90% of your favourite producers are living below what they represent.

This is because artists use 'relationship' to cajole these producers, refuse to pay them their advance and royalties and then get angry when these producers ask for their payment.

Things have not changed - some of Nigeria's biggest music producers still have major problems. In 2019, Nigerian music producer, Northboi Oracle cried out on social media after Nigerian legend, Wizkid dragged his feet in paying the producer. You can read all about that
HERE.

Eventually, before the song was released, Northboi got both his advance and split sheets. While Northboi has since, seemingly been blacklisted because he badmouthed the 'big bad wolf,' and his career now looks like a caricature of its potential, some Nigerians now say, Northboi was impatient.

To them, since Northboi eventually got paid for the one released song which was, 'Joro,' he would have been paid whenever the other songs he produced for Wizkid got released. That argument makes sense, but it's not foolproof.

Another school of thought argues that a producer should get paid his payment the moment an artist collects a beat and/or uses the beat. However, this polarizing conversation got lost in what rapper, Fresh L started on Twitter yesterday.

In the afternoon of March 3, 2020, the rapper took to his twitter and wrote, "U (You) enter studio w(ith) producer... before he even knack beat he’s talking about price. He’s tryna (trying to) give me his managers number... Nawa o! When I went to Pheelz house, he said we should create FIRST, the rest will fall into place later !!!! that shit moved me."

Read more;

https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/music/northboi-wizkid-sarz-and-when-and-how-should-music-producers-get-paid-in-nigerian/n2z1rns