Nelsun

Music Business Strategist, Mgt, & Artist Development. Author: Masters of B.A. (Marketing) [email protected]

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

Big Announcement

Four months ago, I set out to document my thoughts and experiences on Artist Development into a result oriented guide for artists, executives and professionals in the music business.

Today, I’m excited to announce that the book ARTIST DEVELOPMENT: MOVING FROM GOOD TO VALUABLE is officially out!

This 370-page book is a structured compendium of relevant content that can help artists grow and become productivity; guided by creativity, timeless principles, and proven management concepts.

But beyond the book, this is also the beginning of a bigger vision: the journey towards the establishment of the Imerge Creative Hub (ICH), Lagos.

The ICH will be a community based environment and marketplace where emerging creatives in the music business can create affordably, collaborate and achieve their goals seamlessly.

Proceeds from this book will go towards making that dream a reality.

I’m calling on the creative community and every stakeholder in the music business to support this vision with goodwill and solidarity by way of purchase of this book.

To God be the Glory.

👉 Get the eBook (₦10,000): https://t.co/IPdlV9mt1g
👉 Order the Hard Copy (₦15,800): https://t.co/cA23IMnJWL

[iAmSolution_Now! @hyzinkfm]

I never imagined I would be making this kind of plea.

My wife, Dasola, went in for a Caesarean Section to deliver our baby, but what should have been the happiest moment of our lives suddenly became a fight for survival.

She developed severe sepsis after surgery, leading to

[Wale Adeyemi @thewaleadeyemi]

Some many stakeholders in the music industry subconsciously thought the music industry is immune to the effects of politics. I love to see that creatives and execs are now calling out this government and demanding for better governance but we need more people to speak out.

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

There has been about 52% decline in the number of new music releases by emerging Artistes in Nigeria over the last 10 months.

Service providers across the music ecosystem such as managers, music producers, marketers, entertainment lawyers, DJs and other professionals are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet due to reduced investment and lower levels of productive activity from both labels and creatives.

The Nigerian music industry has not faced a challenge of this magnitude in over a decade, and unfortunately, the situation appears to be worsening.

The economic and security realities of the country are major contributors to this crisis. More than ever before, it has become evident that the growth, sustainability, and future of the music industry are closely tied to the quality of governance in our nation.

It is therefore important for all stakeholders in the music business to become more politically aware and recognize the direct impact of Government policies and leadership on the industry's prosperity.

From Artistes to Producers, Managers to Marketers, Entertainment Lawyers to DJs; we must all embrace our civic responsibility, get our PVCs, participate in the democratic process, and vote for leaders who can create an environment where creativity, entrepreneurship, and music business can thrive.

A thriving music industry requires an enabling environment.

We must put sentiments aside, become more engaged citizens, and play our part in building the Nigeria we want to see.

The future of our industry depends not only on talent, creativity and investment, but on one decision that we’ve to make in 2027.

Go get your PVC.

[Oyindamola🙄 @dammiedammie35]

“If we can collectively kick Tinubu out of power, Nigeria will be better by 70 percent, and it will mean, if another person enters and they’re not doing what we the people want, we can kick them out too. We have to everything within out capacity to k!ck Tinubu out of power”

VeryDarkMan

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

As an emerging artiste, here is a concept that can guide you towards a cost-effective and result-oriented music marketing:

No matter how talented you are or how great your music is, a large part of your market will not immediately like, value, or perceive the quality of your music until they see people they already like, trust, respect, or admire consuming or using your music.

What this means is that as an Artiste, there are a few people within your market who possess the influence, structure, platforms, communities, and capacity to better communicate the emotional and economic value of your music to the wider audience.

So, rather than just throw resources around trying to force everyone to catch up with your music, focus your marketing efforts on capturing the attention of gatekeepers, early innovators, social commentators, tastemakers, community leaders, DJs, creators, and relevant media platforms.

Do this by effectively and creatively communicating the value of your music and how it connects with people’s emotions, identity, culture, and needs.

People may see your content online and still not take it seriously until they hear a DJ playing it in a club, see creators using it, watch respected commentators discuss it, or notice communities similar to them already connecting with it.

In the music business, the people who help create momentum are often fewer in number than the larger audience they influence and which you are trying to reach.

If you want the attention of a large portion of the market, focus your branding, and creative strategy on the few people who already have the systems, structures, and influence to inspire others to catch up with your music.

This basically describes how to utilize social proof to instigate or propel motion as an emerging Artiste.

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

That 100M that requires consistently investing 100k monthly for at least 8years in the Money market, is what some Artistes and their managers waste within 1year on unreasonable marketing, promotion and branding to push music that has no value to the music market.

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

@BrodaDerahh @Imergination Absolutely

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

Elestee is close to missing out on a kind of rare opportunity to put her name alongside pioneers like Sasha P, Weird MC, Eva Alordiah, Mo’Cheddah, Bouqui, Blaise, and others like Muna who defined female rap presence in Nigeria from the early 2000s into the 2010s.

Based on her talent and the opportunity of being signed to a Mavin, success seemed almost inevitable, like scoring a penalty with no goalkeeper.

While only those within her camp and the label can say exactly what went wrong, there are some likely reasons that could explain why she didn’t reach the heights attainable.

1. Mavin may have been the wrong label, or at least didn’t create the right environment for a rapper like her to thrive.

She was the label’s first prominent female rapper in years, dating back to the Mo’Hits era. But structurally, Mavin has been optimized for Afropop Artistes who can quickly plug into radio, social media, clubs, and the mass market.

Even some of its legacy Artistes with rap roots have historically leaned into Afrobeats to scale faster.

So, while the label had the resources and leverage, the internal structure may not have been built to develop and sustain a rap focused identity (especially a female Artiste).

In a different system either independently or with labels like Chocolate City or Dapper Music, there might have been more pressure to refine her sound, sharpen her positioning, and optimize for market fit (especially for the fact that they’d want to make profit since they aren’t as rich as Mavin that could bare losses).

2. Elestee’s Lack of clear drive, direction, and personal hunger for impact.

Beyond the system, Elestee never fully established a compelling reason for people to care deeply about her as an Artiste.

There was a noticeable lack of clear artistic direction, strong A&R guidance, and cohesive branding.

From the outside, it often felt like the music and overall presence were more centered around her personal worldview and fantasies than audience connection, which doesn’t work in the music business.

What may be interpreted as a lack of hunger could also reflect: unclear vision and also being with the wrong circle (friends/influence) or insufficient creative discipline

Elestee’s music and personality was so disconnected from the Nigerian market that she wasn’t in any serious conversation in the music ecosystem.

She didn’t put in work to build and sustain a community that cared about what she represented. She moved like an amateur Artiste who was lucky to be signed to a massive label.

That said, her story isn’t over.

Leaving Mavin can serve as a reset if she handles it intentionally. While it’s significantly harder to rebuild momentum after exiting a platform like that, it is far from impossible.

What matters now is clarity, positioning, and the right team.

She should also not be tempted to want to have public fights with the Label or blame them for her situation. It will make things worse for her.

The opportunity for major success may have narrowed but it hasn’t completely disappeared.

[𝗔𝗟𝗕𝗨𝗠 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞𝗦 📀 @AlbumTalksHQ]

🚨 Elestee is no longer with MAVIN ❌

— The talented artist has been listed under the "Legacy Artists" section of the label, dedicated to their former artists 🤔

[AKINYEMI AYINOLUWA, Esq. @akinyemilaw]

SHARED PROSPERITY!

Record producers, this one is for you.
Clearing music for a collaborative project does not have to be stressful.

In this video, you will learn how to escape the frustration and protect your work before problems start.

Watch it. Share it. Tag a producer.

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

The word is “Relatable”.

[theboyismuffeen @theboyismuffeen]

And the reason I personally think Drake is a better rapper than Kdot
Is cause Drake has the ability to simplify complex things..and Everyone can understand. To me that’s one of the highest form of art. It takes high level of intelligence to pull that

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

God made me with the left hand, I cannot do everything right.

-Drake

[Ta-yè @TayeOlusola]

Hi! DM me, let's work (Beats, Mixing, and Mastering of your songs). Let’s work.

[R BILL @ItzRbill]

4 lines from @Omah_Lay "Lo Lo" hit me so hard I built an entirely new song around them.
New melody. New beat. New production. Same truth.
That's called an INTERPOLATION: music talking to itself across artists and time.

Reach me for
Ideation,
Creation and
Creative executions.

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

Planning is an integral part of music business strategy.

But a fundamental part of planning that many Artistes and their team neglect is “waiting”.

Your ability to know when to wait and when to take action can make or destroy a plan or the achievement of a goal.

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

So how does a song become the “next “trending” sound if the listeners don’t know what they want?

If listeners don’t know what they want, why are some songs widely accepted and most get neglected?

Does Apple enquire what they want in a phone before creating any brand of iPhone? No. Because they study patterns that align with peoples interests and needs.

Listeners may not know much about the art or science of creating music, or can detect how the music should sound, but they certainly know what they want from music.

Music is Art to the Artiste but a product to the listener.

As a product, people know what they want, and will only spend their time and money on what appeals to what they want.

It is ignorant of any Artiste to think that “most listeners don’t know what they want”.

[BLAQSOUNDZ🎙️ @Blaqsoundz__]

Most Listeners don't know what they want, they just go with the next trending sound.

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

Over reliance on self, inability to build teams, systems and structures that keeps things running efficiently and effectively.

[Ta-yè @TayeOlusola]

Why are artists burning out faster in this era than ever before?

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

Movies too.

[emmanuel.🏌🏽 @zhajj_]

Some of us actually check your recommendations

Please stop recommending ass music for the love of God

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

1. Unrealistic expectations
2. Greed
3. Weak label structure
4. Character flaw
5. Poor artiste development drive

[Ta-yè @TayeOlusola]

Why do recording artists get dropped by record labels faster now than ever before?

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

89% of what it takes to be an excellent talent manager and music executive is about finding the right Artiste whose time has come.

Music business success is all about alignment of time, talent, relationships and grace.

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

God blesses men through men.

May God send us people who will bless us.

[BayuzTv @BayuzTv]

It’s now about Oluchi the groundnut seller

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

@optimist_debbie Happy birthday

[Nelsun @Adapioyi]

@OlisaOsega @Bukunolami_TA Congratulations