Building a music career is a serious matter. It requires going beyond your musical talent and learning how to build a business out of it. This means you can’t just focus on building an audience and reaching as many people as you can with your music.

You have to monetize your audience to build a profitable music career. In Nigeria, one of the most popular ways to monetize your music is by booking shows.

A-list artists like Burna Boy, Davido, and Wizkid charge millions of naira to perform. A new sensation, Asake, recently announced that tickets to his December show will sell at a whopping 70,000 naira.

If 10,000 people attend that show, you can do the math. These guys have massive audiences online, but they’ve learned how to make tons of money from their music. To do that effectively, booking shows can hardly be avoided.

Booking shows in Nigeria can be tricky, though. It’s one thing to make good music and it’s a whole other thing to book the right shows. Your music relies on the latter as much as it does the former. To help you out, I’ve selected seven of my favorite tips that will help keep you on track.

7 Guaranteed Tips For Booking Shows In Nigeria

If you're struggling to book shows or just starting, here are seven tips to help you book shows in Nigeria…

Focus on your local audience

You must build a social media following because it gives you access to an audience all over the world. When you want to book shows, however, you need to focus on your local audience. It's cool to have fans from halfway across the world, but it's your local fans who will come to your shows.

So as much as you build worldwide, focus more on your local audience from the beginning. Are you from Kaduna, Nigeria? That's where your first audience should come from. Start there, then move to other states, then you can extend beyond the country.

Start small

This may sound a tad similar to the previous tip. If you're just starting, it's better to focus your efforts on booking smaller venues and shows. First of all, you stand a higher chance of getting a smaller venue because they're not looking for the bigger, more expensive artists either.

Secondly, it's easier to develop your performing act with a smaller audience. As if that were not enough, the connection you build with fans in smaller venues can't be faked. This connection will help you build the core of your fanbase.

When you feel ready to climb bigger stages, again remember to start small. Don't go asking to headline the night. Start by asking for support roles. There's less pressure and you stand a higher chance of getting a slot to open for a bigger artist than you do try to be the main star of the show. Opening for bigger artists also means you get some valuable connections that could turn out to be massive for you.

Make sure you understand the steps involved to reach the goals of performing on stage.

Package yourself

In Nigeria, there's a popular saying that goes "packaging is everything". As an indie artist in Nigeria, you must be able to package yourself attractively to catch the attention of promoters and win over the approval of venues. Build an EPK and load up everything you'd like the venue to know about you, like a CV.

You might want to get a manager as well. Whatever you need to do to look professional and trustworthy, that's what you need to do. Remember, you're not just a talented artist, you're a businessperson too.

Approach venues and promoters

Once you're well packaged and ready to go, you need to approach venues and promoters directly and professionally. They run the shows, so they're the ones you must first convince to let you take the stage. Don't forget to do your research before you approach any venue to make sure the conditions are exactly what you want.

You can then send them an email with your EPK attached or find a way to meet them. After you make the first contact, stay in touch to follow up on the booking and build a connection for the future as well.

Collaborate with others

In Nigeria, collaborations are one of the best ways to reach brand-new audiences. Artists like Buju and Ladipoe have shown us the importance of the right collaborations. Find an artist that fits your style and work together.

It widens your network and exposes you to a new fanbase that may have never heard of you. Usually, in Nigeria, there's always a collaboration at the beginning of every big star's rise. There's no reason why you shouldn't follow that path.

Before you hit the stage to perform you want to make sure you make the right connections.

Do it yourself

If you can't seem to get a show with good terms, there's one more option. You can pull resources together and organize your show. This will be no easy feat, however, because all the responsibility will be on your shoulders.

You have to pay to rent the venue, invite other artists to help you open it, and promote the show. To do something like this, you need two things: a sizable account balance and a decent fanbase you can count on to show up. Anything less and your night will flop.

Nail any shows you do

Once you successfully book a show or get a gig, that's not the end of it. Consider every show you perform at an audition for your next booking. Play it the best you can, pour your heart out onstage, and enthrall your audience as much as you can.

Not only will this help win them over as your fans, but it will also serve as a good display of how good you are to bigger venues and promoters. Earlier, I said to start with your local audience, but don't stop there. Grow bigger and better until you're selling out the O2 Arena like megastars such as Davido and Burna Boy. When you get a show, nail it.

Final Thoughts

Booking shows is one of the most effective ways to make a living off your music. It requires you to master your craft beyond recording studios and onto a live stage.  You also have to develop self-promotion and negotiation skills to get the best possible deals.

It all sounds like too much, but all you need to do is get rolling. By the time you become a force to reckon with, you won't be approaching venues anymore, they'll be coming after you.