The MTV Africa Music Awards [MAMAs] is Over. Now What For African Musicians?

MAMAs generated so much publicity and promotions for the MTV brand and African artists worldwide. Even my local newspaper, here in the States, carried the headlines announcing the first ever MAMAs. But, now that it is over, what is its impact /effect on Africa’s artists and music industries? What are the pros and cons of the first ever MAMAs in Africa?

PROS OF MAMAs 2008

1. Africa’s local artists finally got the recognition they deserved [This is of course debatable if you are not from Nigeria/South Africa, the two countries who dominated the Awards].
2. Nigeria/South Africa/Africa’s music can now be exported globally because once the world sees these artists, it will create a demand for Africa’s music.
3. African artists got to share the stage with international artists under a widely recognized brand, MTV, which could lead to African artists collaborating with their international counterparts.

CONS OF MAMAs 2008

1. While mostly Nigerian artists, for example, got the recognition they deserved on a global scale, it is unclear the exposure will create a demand for Nigeria/Africa’s music, globally. Objectively, the majority of the genres of musical works showcased at MAMAs i.e. hip-hop, R &B, Pop & Alternative are replicas of American music and culture seen worldwide. As such, it logically cannot equate to a higher demand for African artists and their music. See MTV Asia Music Awards. Asian artists and music are yet to really break through the global music sphere, inspite of exposure on MTV.
2.  MAMAs, arguably, just opened the gates for large music multinationals to dominate and subordinate Africa’s emerging/infant music industries. With Nigeria, for example, MAMAs’ effectively makes Nigeria’s music industry an easy target for multinationals. Currently, in the global music industry, six major multinationals dominate: Sony, BMG, EMI, Warner, Universal and Polygram. Of those six, four have subsidiaries in South Africa. These multi-nationals enter the marketplace of a foreign country, set up shop and just plain dominate. In South Africa, for example, the aforementioned multinationals, at one point, owned 92% of South Africa’s music industry.
3. The entrance of large multinational record labels, in a country like Nigeria, as alluded to, poses a threat to existing independent record labels. Majority of Nigeria’s independent labels are not linked in the global distribution network. They also lack the capital required for the manufacturing/production processes of music. Yet, they have expended so much energies in getting their artists the visibility and spotlight needed. With a multinational’s existing network, global reach and distribution, it would inevitably cause the Independent labels' market share to shrink, quickly.
4. MAMAs, arguably, might have just helped usher in the death of authentic African music. The recently completed MAMAs’ award categories were Hip-hop, R &B, Pop, or Alternative music. These categories created and will continue to create an increase in demand by Africa’s music consumers, especially youths, for the above sounds that are already highly coveted globally. In turn, there will be a decrease in demand for more native or authentic African sounds. In the case of Nigeria, for example, Fuji music.

It remains to be seen the actual effect of MAMAs on Africa and its music industries. I will indeed be observing closely. In the meantime, have a super brilliant week ahead!

~Uduak