From Score to Screen 2: Why Nigerian Artists Might Not Be Getting Song Placements

For the longest time, the Nigerian entertainment industry has been self-sufficient, and its growth has been remarkable. Nollywood, with the weight of its production volume, easily the second largest film industry in the world.  Afrobeats has achieved global recognition, with songs carrying cultural significance and originality. It is only fitting that when film productions are looking for culturally specific sounds for their projects, that void should naturally be filled by Afrobeats. So why is that not consistently the case?

The Cleared Song

Sure, you could cite projects like Sex Education on Netflix using Davido’s Fall or Fela Kuti’s Zombie featured in Heart of Stone (2023), but these feel like a drop in the bucket compared to the vast catalogues of Nigerian music just waiting to be licensed. There is, however, a very important distinction about those examples: those songs are fully cleared. The split sheet is signed, publishing is registered, and the chain of title is properly documented.

You see, it is not enough to have a song that fits a particular scene or sequence. If a song is a copyright dispute waiting to happen, nobody in a professional production will touch it. When music rights are fragmented, undocumented or unclear, those whose job it is to choose these songs for placement, say a music supervisor, will simply move on to the next possible option. More often than not, the barrier is not the music. It is the paperwork, or lack thereof.

Why Most Nigerian Artists Might Not Be Getting Song Placements

Unclear Ownership

As we’ve previously mentioned in the first part of this post, a sync licence is written permission to exercise exclusive rights over a music work. If ownership is unclear or in dispute, there is no legitimate right holder(s) to grant that permission, and in its absence, no placement can happen. An unresolved split or an undocumented contribution is enough to disqualify an otherwise perfect song.

No Mechanism for Collecting Royalties

A rights holder who wants to be properly positioned for sync placement cannot afford to have unregistered publishing. If a composition is not registered with a Performing Rights Organisation (PRO), there is no mechanism for collecting the backend performance royalties, which is often where the real long-term value sits.

Metadata Gaps

Every release must carry accurate ISRC codes, IPI numbers, and songwriter credits. These ensure that royalties generated by a sync placement can be attributed back to the correct rights holders. Without this information embedded at the point of release, revenue can fall through the cracks.

Inadequate Representation 

There has to be someone pitching your music in the right rooms. Some music distributors go beyond streaming placement, operating in-house sync licensing teams that actively curate catalogs and pitch directly to music supervisors against specific project briefs. Most music supervisors prefer this route precisely because it comes with the assurance of pre-cleared rights and a documented chain of title. For Nigerian artists without existing industry relationships in the markets where these placements happen, rather than pitching individually, they may consider finding a distributor or publishing administrator with an active sync operation.

What to Do 

Sort Your Rights First 

There are two things every song needs before it goes anywhere near a sync pitch: a clear master owner and documented publishing ownership. Well, let us add a third, a signed split sheet. Issues of ownership and royalty splits must be resolved and comprehensively documented before a song is submitted for placement. 

Register Your Works 

From Collective Management Organisations to Performing Rights Organisations, registering your work ensures that any royalties generated are properly attributed and collected. Additionally, if you are pursuing international placements, register with or authorise an international publishing administrator to collect on your behalf across territories. Obtain ISRC codes for all recordings and IPI numbers where applicable.

Be Prepared

Have a clean instrumental or alternative mix of your song ready. Music supervisors work against briefs and tight deadlines, and your track will be considered alongside professionally mixed alternatives; production quality matters. Releasing only a full vocal version is to significantly limit your placement potential.

Conclusion

All you need is documentation, registration, and representation. And while working toward international placements, consider Nollywood your primary market. With over 2,500 productions per year, it is the most accessible entry point, and a well-placed credit is exactly the kind of track record that travels.

The 98th Oscars was, among other things, a reminder of what music does to film, so much so that it cannot be ignored, only acknowledged. Sinners without Göransson’s blues guitar is a different film. Sex Education without those Afrobeats moments in the club scene doesn’t quite hit the same. A music supervisor knows this. Armed with a brief, they are actively searching for sounds that will connect an audience to a story. There is no reason why that sound cannot be yours; all it takes is you getting your paperwork in order.