Nigerian comedian Ayo Makun, popularly known as AY, has spoken about the rising cost of securing Nigerian musicians for concerts and other entertainment events, saying even emerging artistes can now demand fees running into tens of millions of naira.
According to the comedian, some artistes who have yet to establish themselves as major stars now charge as much as N80 million for appearances.
AY attributed the sharp increase in performance fees to the transformation of Nigeria’s music industry, noting that artistes now have access to several revenue streams beyond appearances at local entertainment events.
He said Nigerian musicians have become global stars with earnings from streaming platforms, international endorsements and other opportunities that generate foreign-currency income.
“The industry has changed that today the Nigerian musicians are global stars, they earn from streaming, international endorsements, several other opportunities that come in foreign currencies,” he said.
The comedian recalled that booking some of the country’s biggest music stars for his AY Live comedy show was considerably easier in its earlier years because of personal relationships within the entertainment industry.
He listed Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage and Olamide among artistes who had performed at the show.
“For many years, since the beginning of AY Live, Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Olamide have all performed at AY Live. In those days, many appearances were made possible through friendship,” AY said.
He explained that although such relationships helped organisers secure appearances, the artistes were still given reasonable compensation to cover their logistics and expenses.
The situation, he said, has changed considerably, with some established musicians now charging between N80 million and N200 million to appear at his show.
“Today, the Nigerian musicians charge N200 million, N120 million, N80 million to appear on my show,” he added.
AY also pointed to the growing commercial value of Nigerian music as a reason artistes are less dependent on comedy shows and similar events for exposure.
He said the financial landscape had also affected emerging performers, with some artistes who are yet to become household names reportedly requesting fees of about N80 million.
“Even the upcoming artists wey never blow dey ask for N80 million,” he said.
The comedian noted that organisers without strong personal connections to artistes could therefore face significant financial challenges when trying to put together line-ups for comedy shows.
AY’s comments highlight the changing relationship between Nigeria’s comedy and music industries, where artistes increasingly have multiple platforms and revenue sources through which to monetise their popularity.
