I’m not that much of a fan of Award shows. I’m never one to vote for them and I never complain about so and so person being robbed of an award either. Over time, even big Awards like the Grammys have been called into question over certain nominations. I think for the most part, the lines between popularity and musicality are being crossed over one over the other, and that has led to the many ambiguities in both the nominations and in the reclamations from the public.
In the era of music streaming and personal digital channels, it has become even worse. And while some reclamations seem to hold ground, some are not, and others are very opaque. I miss the era of hard physical sales. It didn’t come without its own share of controversies, but at least, one did not get drowned in a sea of online protests. But I also understand their importance in rewarding hard work and giving people a reference point with regards to artistry and work ethic.
But to get the matter of this article. I want us to go back to mid November 2020. Muzikol, a digital music sales platform, organised a music awards – the MUMAs. It joins a multitude of awards that exist in our entertainment industry. I have long held the opinion that one of the problems in our entertainment industry is that too many people who have no business given out awards, are giving out awards.
But the Muzikol Music Awards caught my eye particularly with the prize they gave BIG G BABA – that of the highest selling album on their platform.
First of all, I am a strong advocate for platforms like MUZIKOL and Muzeedigital via which Cameroonian musicians can sell their music and even concert tickets. Apart from creating value in the entertainment market, these platforms create jobs, as well as ensure that money goes directly into the pockets of independent artists. This can further spur artists to find innovative ways to market themselves directly to their niches and to gain money directly.
I feel like many Cameroonian musicians prefer to put their music on streaming platforms while neglecting local music sales platform. First of all, if you are not Drake or Rihanna, the amount of money you get from streams is quite miserly – sure it puts your music at the disposal of hundreds of millions of potential listeners; but if you are not going to be doing any live shows in these markets, you will be leaving a lot of money on the table.
You are better off marketing directly to your 70,000 Cameroonian followers across your social platforms and having that 7,000 (10%) of them buy your albums at 2,000frs a copy. That will net you a revenue of 14 million francs. After the platform takes its percentage and you factor in cost of production and marketing, you can go home with 6 million frs. Which is like having a salary of 500K a month. You basically make a descent living off your art.
I was really happy to see MUZIKOL, via its MUMAs, award the prize of the best selling album to Big G Baba – announcing that his EP had sold 5,000 copies. When 237Showbiz ran the story I saw many people in the comments section denying this. Many said it was impossible for Big G Baba to sell that many copies, adding that there must be a mix-up somewhere. I was in a state of confusion when I heard that. To think that people can think that a rapper in Cameroon, in 2020 cannot sell 5,000 copies of an EP is a bit off-putting.
More to the point, we are talking about Big G Baba. The guy is quite popular in Bamenda. He owns a snack bar, and by default has a strong social currency. He has a small but dedicated fanbase and his songs are quite well-known in the Anglophone community.
As a matter of fact, I remember last year, during the Discovery Show, he came on stage and performed “Tori Dey.” I remember the crowd there going wild and everybody rapping along to my huge surprise. It was the first time I was hearing the song.
And so I applaud Muzikol for that particular award. And I want to say that sort of transparency is what the Cameroonian music industry needs. We need to use our local music platforms more and we need to publish their sales performances on local music sale platforms.
I always feel bad when I think about Jovi’s last album figures not being published by him. The fervour that accompanied the release of that album was a good opportunity to show how far he had come on his journey and how much his consistency, artistry and work ethic had brought him thus far.
It would have been an indirect lesson to many artists. They would, by this, understand that it takes so and so effort to be able to attain so and so results.
It will also push artists to be focused on what is important – quality music, a consistent and well thought body of work, the business of music, and their catering and interaction with their community of followers.
- Wandji Wilfred
**Erratum: It has been brought to our attention that the snack bar mentioned in this article is not owned by Big G Baba, but rather by a businessman who goes by the nickname Big G. Please disregard what was written on this issue in the article