Sony Music West Africa, through its Columbia Records UK repertoire, is the No. 1 record label in Q1 2022
Royalty Management
In a landmark move, CMB Digital Distribution is currently working on a digital transformation project in collaboration with Sony Music. This partnership aims to bring a series of transformative changes to the Nigerian music industry, impacting how Nigerian artists manage their revenue generation and streaming services. These changes include:
Enhanced global distribution channels for Nigerian artists Access to Sony’s vast network of international resources and expertise Cutting-edge technology for copyright protection and content identification Tailored marketing strategies to promote Nigerian music on a global scale.
Over the past decade, Afrobeats has made its way to the biggest stages, arenas, and platforms across the world. One of the major drivers of this movement is the big record labels that have made a return to Nigeria in some capacity (after a break at the end of the last century).
As it turns out, it's one of these international record labels majors is Sony Music West Africa, who set up shop in 2016 and is now headed by Lloyd Oluwaseun. Sony Music WA is placed top of the list, mostly through the repertoire of Columbia Records UK, based on the broad data collected by TurnTable Charts which is Nigeria's standard and foremost music chart publication.
It is important to note that the label’s ranking as No. 1 also takes into account the music activity of international superstar Adele whose latest album 30 spawned the megahit "Easy On Me" in Nigeria. However, the bulk of this success is still down to its local stars such as Ruger and Davido. “Dior” by Ruger and “Champion Sound” by Davido & Focalistic are the two biggest songs under the label, "Snapchat" also made considerable success during the period.
Behind Sony Music WA's emergence as Nigeria's leading record label for Q1 22 is a team of experts working from Africa and the UK, led by Lloyd Oluwaseun (Sony Music WA) and Ferdy Unger-Hamilton (Columbia Records UK) – who are two of the four people TurnTable Charts get together with to talk about the synergy between Columbia Records, Sony Music West Africa and its partners.
TurnTable Charts spoke to Oluwaseun "Banko" Lloyd about the what the future holds for Afrobeats, growth of the industry and how Sony Music WA operates
Do you think Afrobeats can ever get to a point when its talents start getting major acquisitions for their catalogue?
Yes, as a matter of fact, we’re beginning to see producers and creators make revenue from their catalogue, both in production and even from the artiste side which is song writing and the compositions. I think we’re already on our way there, although at our own pace. What’s left is to reach the destination point and we are most definitely going to get there.
What role does your label play in the releases of all Sony artistes in West Africa, regardless of their repertoire (possible examples of recent releases would be great)
As a Sony Music company, it is our job to sell all of Sony Music’s catalogue in our region and that involves both local and international. Our role locally is to create plans that will drive the sales of the music at home and a way we go about that is to have a plan for every song, which sometimes can be very tough to do and that’s why we have adopted a priority format for these releases. We identify those songs that we know will do well in our market or have a history of doing well in our market, then we put a plan around it and sell.
Made in Lagos, A Good Time and A Better Time will rank as some of Afrobeats’ biggest albums digitally; do you see an upward trend for new generation of artistes?
Oh yes, I sure do see an upward trend and it’s only going to keep getting better. Those albums were classics you know, but in foresight we have guys like Taves - an amazing young artiste who is only 19 years old and is about to blow people’s minds. The future is so bright for us as a community and culture.
As for the rest of the year, what are some of the planned releases for Sony Music WA?
We’ve got big projects coming in for the rest of the year. We have major singles on the way, there’s a few EPs and albums, a couple of artistes that we’re gonna be breaking out, some international collaborations also. We have a whole lot of stuff coming and it’s going to be a busy year for us.
What would you change about the music industry in Nigeria and globally?
For me, it is the perception of Afro and the value that the music holds. Where we’re at right now is the future initiative and our market base is growing aggressively such that in a couple years, Nigerian music/the Nigerian market would be part of the determinants for the global charts. So, it is important that record labels, DSPs and music educators begin to understand that this is a growth process, and we all need to play our parts to help nurture it rather than take the juice out of it early or try to harvest it young. Also, cultural understanding is very key. Afro music has a lot to do with its cultural origin and there needs to be more understanding about that.
TurnTable Charts got together with Ferdy to talk about the synergy between Columbia Records, Sony Music West Africa (the team responsible for handling all Sony releases in this part of the world), and its partners such as Jonzing World that's responsible for Ruger's discovery and artiste development.
What is the relationship between Columbia Records and Jonzing World x Sony Music West Africa regarding new artist signing such as Ruger?
“We have a fantastic relationship with Jonzing World, they bring a lot to the party. They know their market and the culture and we try to give them the space and support that they need to achieve their vision. We have a huge belief in Ruger and expect him to recreate his African success globally. Likewise, Davido. He is a fantastic talent with a great team around him. We try to support him and give him the flexibility to serve his African fanbase as well as his global fan base because he is much loved everywhere.”
How do you spot Nigerian talent to add to the roster?
“Spotting Ruger (like most things that seem to happen) was really a huge stroke of luck. I was working with Prince’s cousin (who lives in London) and he told me about Prince and that he had a new artist. I knew who he was by reputation as we had also tried (unsuccessfully) to sign Rema”
Nigerian artistes have always been sought after by major international record labels with 80s stars such as King Sunny Ade and Fela Kuti inking various record deals during their prime. With the increasing globalization of music today, these labels are excited and eager to have Nigerian talents offer their sounds to the rest of the world.
However, some of these stars including Columbia’s own Davido have complained about having to tweak their sounds due to pressure from their labels. In this section of the feature, Taponeswa Mavunga, Director of Africa at Sony Music UK, talks about the importance of authenticity and more.
How is your organization able to ensure that African stars under your label(s) retain their originality despite increasing interest in African talents?
“We work collaboratively with our artists across board. A huge part of the global appeal of African artists is their authenticity. So there’s great care in building the artist proposition, so we support the vision and authenticity rather than constructing something else entirely."
Your role overlaps between amplifying UK artistes in Africa as well as creating opportunities for their African counterparts in the UK. The Q1 report shows that your organization has a higher presence than any other label in Nigeria. How have you been able to achieve both domestic, continental, and intercontinental success?
“That’s very encouraging to hear. 18 months in and the role is new for the organization. There is a huge commitment to the continent and the opportunities the diaspora presents but the real strength lies with the strong roster of talent. Davido set the template for being signed direct to a UK label. It might be an obvious thing with today's lense, where African talent is sought after, but it [Davido signing with Columbia UK] shifted mindsets and opened a corridor."
She continues, "With Ruger, what has been instrumental is the solid relationship we have with D’Prince, Sean, and Afolabi from Jonzing World and how we communicate both internally and externally. We are always intentional and understand that Africa is not a country (you might be surprised how this simple statement often gets forgotten), and with the support of our brilliant counterparts in West, East, and South Africa Sony offices, we reap the benefits of a fully joined-up team."
She added, "Collaboration is key. This applies to the artistes working with each other, producers and writers sharing with each other but also the wider industry - in its own cross pollination"
Having a presence in West Africa has been key to Sony and Columbia Records’ success in Nigeria in recent years. With the presence of Sony Music West Africa, Nigerian artistes signed to Columbia Records division have been able to consolidate their success at home while their international counterparts can find new fans here in Nigeria.
The establishment of Sony Music West Africa in 2016 has paved a way for Sony Music to combine its international resources with the local expertise of the team led by Oluwaseun Llyod AKA Banko (General Manager, Sony Music WA).
Sony Music WA has worked with different African artistes signed to other repertoires under the Sony umbrella such as Mayorkun (Black Butter) and Wizkid (RCA USA). The label also had major wins through Goya Menor's “Ameno Amapiano (Remix)” - through a partnership with B1 Recording - which went from a Nigerian club anthem to a global Tik Tok sensation.
In the final section of the feature, we talk to Nnamdi Okafor, Lead Digital Services & Partner Management Africa.
How has your organization been able to work around the peculiarities and challenges of the streaming market in Nigeria and the rest of Africa?
“Nigeria's streaming market, like every other market, has benefited massively because of how PAYOLA and other unethical practices are quickly fading away. However, a country with a population of more than 200 million people still has a tiny percentage of streaming/legal music consumption, which is of great concern because of the limited digital stores we as a company can sell products."
Nnamdi further reveals how the label has dealt with the challenges; "naturally, this challenge restricts marketing ideas, which we try to balance with engaging UGC and free tier streaming marketing campaigns with partners like Boomplay, TikTok, Instagram Reels, Triller, YouTube Music, and Spotify in collaboration with the Sony Music West African office."
On finding a balance between artist development and promoting music in a market where ethical means can only do so much, Nnamdi says "the decisions we make are crucial to the industry's growth and vital to the development of the artists. Therefore, even when we pursue market popularity, we always want to make ethical decisions to discourage piracy and illegal streaming, which creates a stable environment for other emerging artists in the future”.
Contributors: Vivienne Njobi
Strategic Product Lead — CMB Digital Distribution