Leveraging International Collaborations: Maximizing Royalties For Nigerian Artists
A glance at the Billboard Hot 100 entries for Nigerian artists reveals a subtle detail that might otherwise go unnoticed: the majority of these hits are collaborations and features with international artists. Now, we are not necessarily drawing any conclusions, Still, it does beg the question: Is the key to global success and recognition for Nigerian artists closely tied to international collaborations?
A well-executed collaboration is gold; there is no doubt about that. Over the past five years, we have witnessed more international collaborations within the Nigerian Afrobeat scene. Of these projects, most have led to massive success, only a handful may have gone unnoticed. These collaborations have brought about significant commercial achievements, Grammy nominations, Grammy wins, and world tours, you name it. This week, we explore international collaboration as both a trend and a strategic tool that, if effectively leveraged, could maximize royalty earnings for Nigerian artists.
Understanding Music Collaboration
To recap what a music collaboration is: it’s a level-based contribution, with each party expected to bring an aspect of their unique talent, style, or technique to the project. In collaborations, two or more artists work to create a piece of music together, each collaborator playing an equal or assigned part in the project. Collaborations are not limited to performers; they can involve songwriters, producers, et cetra. We have an additional resource that explores collaborations and how they differ from features if you would like to read that.
The Rise of Afrobeats
Collaborations are essentially partnerships, resulting in a co-created work where all parties have significant input. This arrangement also means that copyrights are shared and royalties are distributed amongst collaborators. Therefore, commercial success is mutually beneficial for everyone involved. In the last five years, we have seen an increase in the global appeal for Afrobeat; the genre has shifted from a “sounds by Africans for Africans” identity to be more internationally recognized. We’ve even seen K-pop acts try their hands at replicating the sound or experiment with afrobeat elements, but that’s a topic for another day. Additionally, Billboard’s launch of the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart in 2022, highlighted how much the genre has significantly gained traction in the U.S. market.
Leveraging International Collaborations
With its increase in global appeal, the question became how Nigerian artists could best be positioned to capitalize on this expanding market. After all, if others are adapting your sound to fit their taste, it only makes sense that Nigerian artists take a stake in that process. Consequently, we have seen more cross-genre and cross-cultural collaborations, particularly with Western artists. Some of these popular and recent collaborations include:
Essence – Wizkid and Tems (a collaboration between Wizkid and Tems, the song was already a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 before the Justin Beiber feature)
Wait For U – Future, Tems, and Drake
Talibans II – Burna Boy and Byron Messia
Calm Down – Rema and Selena Gomez
We Pray – Coldplay, Burna Boy, and Little Simz
Conclusions
Now, to answer the question, does international recognition hinge on Nigerian artists’ ability to collaborate globally? We could say that there are no clear-cut answers. For example, success stories like Ckay’s ‘Love Nwantinti’ and Burna Boy’s ‘Last Last’ demonstrate that although collaborations amplify reach, a strong viral appeal can elevate a solo Nigerian song to international chart success. To this point, international recognition for Nigerian artists does not necessarily depend on their global collaborations.
However, these instances are few and pale in comparison. When you look at the bigger picture, collaboration still seems like the surefire path to global success.
