Is Afrobeats declining? Celebrities and show promoters speak out on recent concert cancellations
Celebrities, music moguls and show promoters have all reacted to the recent sequence of cancellation of concerts by Nigerian artists and show organisers.
From the cancellation of Afro Nation Lagos 2023 to Kizz Daniel and Adekunle Gold's concerts in London, show promoters, celebrities as well as music moguls have shared their thoughts and concerns about why this is the case in 2023.
It is no surprise that teh msuci industry would express concerns about the ongoing sequence of event regarding concerts of Nigerian artists. Many have spoken up about the shortages of concerts as December 2023 draws closer and also why Nigerian artists are cancelling their concerts abroad.
An event whose cancellation came as a shock to many was Afro Nation Lagos which was scheduled to take place in December 2023. With speculations surrounding why the event was cancelled, the recent thread of events seems to further shed more light on the issues surrounding its cancellation.
CEO and founder of Upfront international Paul Okoye took to his social media platform to share his thoughts on the issue. The event organiser spoke on how concerts are on the decline global and how Nigerian artists now charge huge fees to perform in Nigeria.
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Talent manager and lawyer Ayo Shoniya also shared his thoughts on the ongoing situation stating that for Afrobeats to succeed the Nigerian music industry needs to come up with a plan to avoid any form of decline. He also added that a reason for concert being postponed in foreign countries is as a result of low ticket sales.
His post on the social media platform X, read, "Meanwhile, shows are being cancelled or “postponed” in the UK because of low ticket sales. Something’s gotta give soon.."
Meanwhile, shows are being cancelled or “postponed” in the UK because of low ticket sales. Something’s gotta give soon. https://t.co/1XruhZpv62
— Ayo Shonaiya (@AyoShonaiya) November 8, 2023
Radio host and hypeman Dotun also expressed his concern on how Afrobeats is going. He adviced that artists should put in a collective effort to prevent the decline of the genre of music which is the biggest export of the music industry. His post read, "This Afrobeat we all built together, na Una go use Una hands spoil am. You now charge your own people in dollars. Forget to unlock the togetherness the genre gives you and your people. Quite strange and bizarre."
This Afrobeat we all built together, na Una go use Una hands spoil am. You now charge your own people in dollars. Forget to unlock the togetherness the genre gives you and your people. Quite strange and bizarre
— Do2dtun Energy gAD (@iamDo2dtun) November 8, 2023
