The founder of Mavin Records and producer, Michael Collins, popularly known as Don Jazzy, said the source of revenue of Nigerian artistes is being affected by insecurity in the country. In a recent interview, the producer disclosed that artistes were not making as much as they should during their prime.
Don Jazzy lamented the decline in the number of shows being held for artistes within the country in recent years. He complained that the insecurity in Nigeria had limited the number of locations artistes could organise their shows.
He said aside from Abuja, Port Harcourt, Lagos and some few states, artistes can no longer go on a nationwide tour, which the likes of Tuface, Psquare, and Dbanj enjoyed some decades ago. Nigeria has 36 States, including Abuja.
Don Jazzy made this known while speaking with HipTV. He explained that tour was once a major source of revenue for artists, but all that has changed.
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“Something has been troubling over the last three years and that has to do with insecurity in the country. Lots of people used to say we earn mostly from shows back in the days.
“Nowadays, we don’t do as many shows as we do before because of security reasons, you know the whole killing in the north; kidnapping started affecting our gigs.
“I remember days with DBanj when you get up one day and tour the country. Now, people are just keeping it to Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, and a few other states because of the security problem.”
He added that, “If the government can help us fix this, touring will be easier. People like Tuface, Psquare, and Dabnj became great entertainers because of the of shows they staged around the country.”
However, despite the negative impact of insecurity on its artistes’ earnings, Mavin Records has been expanding. Late last year, the music label commissioned its new creative and corporate office spaces in Lekki and Victoria Island respectively. Mavin Record had also secured a “multimillion-dollar” equity investment partnership with Kupanda Holdings early 2019.