On Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020, Nigeria’s multiple award-winning artiste, Innocent Idibia also known as 2baba; hosted what could be the first online concert in Nigeria in association with Trophy beer, a product International Breweries plc.
The show, which was live on social media platforms of the artiste and the company, attracted more than 50,000 fans. At the end, 2baba and the company donated the sum of N10m toward Nigeria’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the increasing number of COVID-19 infections in Nigeria and government’s ban on large gatherings of people; entertainers, particularly musicians now need to explore alternative means to keep their business running; to entertain their fans and circumvent the boredom that comes with the lockdown.
For the first time in history, the entertainment industry is experiencing a paradigm shift from music concerts, festivals, supremacy challenges, performances, and comedy shows at halls and event centres, to mainly live-streaming from anywhere as deemed comfortable although supposedly, temporarily.
And from what we have seen so far, it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that the show must still go on; even though the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the way people live.
Amongst the many Nigerian celebrities who have adopted the live-streaming mode to entertain their fans are Davido, Asa, Peruzzi, SARZ, AY, Masterkraft, Pheelz, Shizzy, MC Galaxy, Slimcase, Tiwa Savage, Johnny Drille, and a host of others.
Selected live-streamed shows and concerts
As entertainers in the country are groaning over the consequences of the ongoing lockdown; some of them are taking to live-streaming from the confines of their homes in order to keep the show running.
On the same day that 2Baba had his concert, comedian Ayo Makun took many of his fans by surprise; hosting his annual show, AY Live on the internet.
Although he had planned and advertised that the show would hold at the prestigious Eko Hotel Convention Centre before the incidence of COVID-19 in Nigeria; many fans thought he was going to cancel the show entirely in consideration of the way coronavirus is rolling back all activities in the entertainment industry.
Fans were therefore delighted to hear that AY was nevertheless going on with the show albeit online. With two of his colleagues, Funny Bone and Ushbebe, AY held the comedy show on Instagram Live to the delight of thousands of his fans.
Check it out below:
Similarly, the French-Nigerian singer and songwriter, Bukola Elemide, popularly known as Asa who cancelled her European tour on account of the pandemic, caught the stay-at-home concert bug, as she hosted an e-concert on her YouTube channel. Albeit, she performed in front of the camera to the delight of thousands of her fans.
YouTube also recently collaborated with some artistes, including Simi to host a coronavirus sensitisation e-concert. Interestingly, the concert featured other top African musicians aside from Nigerians, who serenaded their fans observing the sit-at-home policy. Some of the other artistes include M.anifest and Manu WorldStar.
In the same breath, Mavin Records DJ, held an online party with his Instagram fans, when he hosted his ‘Lockdown Protocol’. His fans didn’t just enjoy quality music but had a party feel like they would have had without the lockdown.
There is also Inspiration singer, Lanre Teriba who did not fail in his commitment to entertaining his fans on a weekend basis. He beat the lockdown to entertain his fans to the popular Tungba music through his Instagram page.
Even then, some Nigerian artistes chose a couple of infamous options which saw ladies from across the world twerk, sometimes totally unclad to the annoyance of many purist Nigerians. Some of these artistes include Slimcase, MC Galaxy, Hiddominant, and BaddyOsha.
Fans recount experience
And even lovers of entertainment are learning to live with the online options as presented to them by their favourite stars. Although there is nothing quite like the experience of going out to a venue and singing your favourite songs alongside thousands of strangers, it is fast becoming more common for music fans around the world to stay indoors for shows, at least, pending the time a cure will be discovered for the infectious disease.
Fans who spoke to eelive.ng expressed delight at options which their entertainment stars are providing at this moment. They explained that even though it has added to the volume of data they consume, those performances do not only lift up the spirit against the doom that the COVID-19 pandemic portends, it also helps to while the time away with the lockdown that has been imposed.
Mr Olalekan Fakoyejo, a fan of Asa who was part of the online concert told eelive.ng: “I honestly had a quality time on the show. It was fun-filled. I probably would have enjoyed the show more had it been held at an event centre of a hall, but regardless, it was fun.”
Another fan, Arowolaje Toyin explained that it was out of tune for her to live-stream her favourite artiste, and it was a great experience. “Before this whole lockdown began, there were times I won’t be able to attend concerts that feature Simi due to some circumstances. So, it’s not really much of a big deal being left with the only option to live-stream but I think it is a good thing that people can watch and be in tune with what their stars are doing at this time of lockdowns.”
We might as well get used to it
But indications are that entertainers and their fans might have to get used to online interactions. A study recently published by epidemiologists from Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health has suggested that musicians and other entertainers who have since been having some quality time with their fans via live-streaming, might have to continue with that trend for fairly much longer than anticipated.
The study entitled: Intermittent social distancing may be needed through 2022 to manage COVID-19, indicated that in the absence of vaccines for coronavirus, social and physical distancing measures deployed so far in curtailing the spread of the coronavirus, which has disrupted the way shows and concerts are being held, might be advisable until 2022.
This position was recently echoed by music executive, Jude Okoye when he encouraged musicians to brace-up for a long holiday, expressing the opinion that things may not return to normal until a COVID-19 vaccine to cure the virus is available.
In a series of tweets, the CEO of Northside Music and elder brother to the now-defunct group, Psquare, maintained that social and physical distancing as being observed now on a global scale will have an adverse effect on artistes who depend on shows for their daily living.
His tweet read:
“As an artiste, if your income is based mostly on shows, brace up for a long hols. The way things are, there may not be any shows/concerts till there’s a vaccine for COVID-19.”
DB Records singer, Cheekychizzy suggested in a chat with eelive.ng that artistes need to start considering adapting to the new style of exploit in the industry. According to him, musicians may no longer have to rely on concerts for survival, at least, for now, due to the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.
He said, “A lot has been going on recently. We just have to learn how to adapt to the new changes as creatives. Artistes should start looking at other means of making money; the cure for coronavirus seems a long away off. And as a result, social distancing may be observed longer than expected. But I’m happy with what is happening already tho. People are waking up to the realities.”
Also, Music Executive, Tosin Faleye pointed out that while many artistes will suffer due to the ongoing lockdown and social distancing which doesn’t seem to end anytime soon, some artistes will benefit from it.
His words; “Some artistes have started lamenting bitterly, and you may have seen them already in the news. It is not surprising at all. This is because most of them depend on concerts to survive. Without shows, there is no money. But there are some artistes who are also benefiting from it.”
Loss of revenue
Since many artistes have been forced to cancel their concerts, loss of revenues for them has significantly skyrocketed. Usually, tickets to these concerts in Nigeria usually ranging from N2000 to as high as N1 million; depending on the kind of seat/ticket bought. It could be a Diamond table, VVIP, VIP, or regular table.
Because of the nature of the music business, the cancellation of their shows will have a direct impact on the artistes’ projected earnings within the next two years if not longer. Such losses are usually worsened by the monies that would have been spent on the promotion of shows before the need for sudden call-offs. A few of Nigeria’s artistes have vented their frustrations.
For instance, shortly after cancelling his foreign trip, which was already underway, Award-winning artiste, Davido, told a fan who requested for money in an exchange of tweets that there is “no money for now… no show in sight abeg … we all Dey here together.”
Similarly, Deborah Oluwaseyi Joshua, the singer known as Seyi Shay said her loss due to the pandemic is heartbreaking. “I don’t even wanna talk about how much money I’ve lost cos of this global lockdown! Shows, endorsements, deals!!!! I pray The Almighty restores EVERYTHING that my fellow artistes and YOU have lost ! #weshallovercome.
No one wants to talk about it, but me I go talk am oh! This is real inside life. This sucks!! Plenty work and gigs locally and internationally CANCELLED! God when #weshallovercome ko ni da fun coronavirus (it will not be good for Coronavirus)!” she tweeted.
Does live-streaming solve all the problems?
COVID-19 pandemic has caused many Nigerian artistes to lose hundreds of millions of naira in revenue just within two months. With no end in sight to the damage to the industry; live streaming does a lot of the psychology of artistes and their fans.
An artiste manager who does not want to be named told eelive.ng that: “artistes and entertainers do not hold concerts just for the sake of earning money.”
“Concerts are also highly emotional; often cathartic experiences that are critical to strengthening the bonds between celebrities and their fans. And this is something that the online opportunities allow to happen in spite of the pandemic and attendant lockdown.”
Indisputably, live-streaming is the closest digital to an in-person show. And as it is at the moment, leveraging live-streaming is not only for entertainers who want to make ends meet; but for those who want to stay relevant during and after the pandemic; and at the same time, retain their fan base.
And concerning making money, it is likely that we will devise ways to monetize online concerts soon; that is if it not already happening. I am wondering if the makers of Trophy Beer did not pay 2Baba for that Easter concert, for example.
So you will soon see brands commissioning artistes to stage performances for their customers. The gloom will likely not go on for long; as everyone now realises the importance of entertainment at times like this.
We at eelive.ng also pray along these lines…