Nigerian music executive Motolani Alake has criticised what he calls an unhealthy obsession with money among African musicians, particularly those from West Africa.
He believes this attitude is affecting the way artistes approach business deals, especially those involving their music catalogues.
Speaking on Hitz FM’s Daybreak Hitz on July 1, 2025, Alake said many artistes demand unrealistic sums for catalogues that generate little to no income.
“African artistes, especially West African artists, need to stop being obsessed with money that makes no sense. Your entire catalogue cannot be making $1,000 or $5,000, and you’re asking for a million dollars,” he said in the interview with Doreen Avio and Kwame Dadzie.
He stressed that business deals should be mutually beneficial, but some artistes enter negotiations with inflated expectations, which he believes stem from a lack of understanding of the value of their work.
Alake advised musicians to carry out market research before going into any business discussions. He cited a well-known Nigerian musician as an example of someone currently undertaking such research ahead of a new album release.
“If an OG like that is doing market research, what goes into that is understanding the sound, understanding the palettes, studying data, studying the change in attitude, studying social media, studying marketing tactics, understanding what operates, talking to his friends that have done certain types of deals,” he explained.
According to him, artistes should prepare thoroughly before walking into meetings, ensuring their demands are backed by data and market reality.
“If you’re going to walk into a room, you need to know exactly what you’re walking into. I think a lot of people don’t do that. They just open their mouth and ask for a million. The way African artists ask for a million dollars is just insane. Everybody wants a million dollars,” he said.
Motolani Alake is a Nigerian music executive, journalist and pop culture analyst. He is known for his commentary on the African music industry and has worked across media and creative platforms, offering insight into trends, marketing strategies and the evolving dynamics of the music business.
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