The Magasco-Niska Scheduling Clash: A Case Study in Market Perception vs. Market Reality
When Cameroon-based afropop artist Magasco's December concert was scheduled just one day before French rapper Niska's show at the same venue, many assumed deliberate sabotage by the organizing companies. The writer argues instead that in a city of 2.5 million people, both shows can succeed—and that the real issue is local artists' perceived market value compared to foreign performers.
Magasco set his GOLDEN SHOW for the 22nd of December at the Yaounde multipurpose sports complex. Upon getting news that French rapper Niska will be having a show at the same venue on the 21st of December, many now think it is a show of bad faith by MTN and U-Live. Magasco himself, in a post on his page, without calling names, was alluding to the fact that MTN and U-Live are deliberately trying to sabotage his show.
Before going to my main arguments, let me sidestep here and mention that Niska is a French hip hop artist that drops most of his flows on trap beats. I cannot count the number of times I have heard, even from the mouths of our A list artists and music executives that “hip hop does not sell in Cameroon and in Africa.” Isn’t it now ironic that we are all running scared that a hip hop artists will steal Magasco’s show?
Any-ha!
The point I want to make is that ehh. PAPOSY has 5000 places and there are 2.5 million or so Cameroonians living in Yaounde. I don’t know if I have to say a lot more than I don’t see why both concerts shouldn’t be sold out shows.
Secondly, like I mentioned earlier, Niska is a French hip hop artists that drops his flows mainly on trap beats. Magasco is a afropop singer. Therefore the two should typically appeal to a different fan base. An independent show like the one Magasco is giving is one that is usually for the fans of the artist. When Maahlox did his show at the same venue without announcing the list of guest artists, it was for that reason. He wanted to do a show for his fans. People were going there to see him.
So - if Magasco does not fill up the PAPOSY, Niska, MTN and U-Live are not to be blamed. It will just be a case of poor marketing and communication or just an indication that he doesn’t really have fans.
In fact, if I am Magasco I will have agents selling my tickets at the Niska Concert. What better place to find people who care about attending concerts? And the tickets are just 1,000 FCFA.
To add…
December is that season when everyone is more likely to spend some extra cash on almost everything. People renovate their homes, get new clothes, party extra, buy more gifts, place more calls etc. It is also the period where companies need to do more to retain the attention of their customers. Marketing departments in all companies are overworked right now.
Concerts and events are one major avenue for Below The Line (BTL) marketing for companies. It also happens that because of the many events that come with the festive season, there aren’t many dates open for companies to get their events done; for many reasons which are not the subject of this post.
My wish is that our local artists be considered over foreign artists when it comes to headlining shows but I can tell you for sure that for a profit driven organization, using a local artist is not a good business decision. In part, it is just because our artists do not offer much value when compared to what the foreign artists can bring. In the end, for them, it is just business. Let’s stop being surprised.
- Tino Foy
This piece reflects a moment of growing concert culture in Yaoundé and the competitive dynamics between local and international music acts. It also captures the December festive season, when promotional budgets and consumer spending spike, and when venues become scarce for competing events.
The piece cuts through a common complaint in African creative industries—that local talent is disadvantaged—by reframing the question: it's not about malice, but about market perception and business logic. The observation that hip-hop 'doesn't sell' yet everyone fears a hip-hop artist's competition remains sharply relevant to how African markets discuss genre, value, and cultural legitimacy.