Bella Shmurda attributed the rising cost of music promotion and production to Nigeria’s economic challenges.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Afrobeat singer and songwriter, Abiola Ahmed Akinbiyi, better known as Bella Shmurda, has claimed the soaring cost of music promotion is discouraging Nigerian artists from releasing new albums.
He made this known recently while featuring as a guest on a programme on Naija FM Lagos.
Speaking during the interview, the “Cash App” crooner highlighted how financial constraints are pushing artists toward releasing singles, as the expenses for larger projects become prohibitive.
He further noted that promoting an album, which typically includes 10 to 14 tracks, demands a significantly larger budget than a single song.
ALSO READ: Odumodublvck justifies signature red cap, says ‘Music industry is a battleground’
He outlined the costly components, such as radio airplay and music video production, revealing that the baseline cost for a single music video has skyrocketed to N20 million.
While lamenting the development, Bella Shmurda said, “To release an album, you need a huge budget, unlike singles. Because for albums, you’re promoting 10 to 14 songs all at once. It’s a lot.
“Promoting songs on the radio, shooting videos for five, six songs, is a lot. These days, the least you can spend on a music video is N20 million. So, how many artists can afford to shoot five videos?”
Shmurda went on to attribute the rising cost of music promotion and production to Nigeria’s economic challenges.
