For decades, record labels were the custodians of Nigerian music. Only they had the financial muscle required to successfully produce and distribute music. From the time of pioneers like Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, and other early musical masters down to the era of Tuface, Banky W, and others who I grew up listening to, record labels have been the dominant force in Nigerian music. The main reason for this was the sheer amount of money and effort it took to produce and distribute music.

Labels could afford to put together production teams with the best equipment to give you a good sound, and they could help you distribute your music with their extensive connections and resources.

Labels could produce CDs and distribute them nationwide, they could reach out to radio stations to saturate the market with your music, and they could organize or book live shows for you to connect with fans. Music was analog, and only labels could do all that heavy lifting. Then came social media and technology.

The Social Media Effect

Social media and the internet changed everything. Streaming platforms meant artists no longer needed to distribute CDs manually, and social media meant they could reach millions of people from all over the world at the same time.

As exciting as it must’ve been for artists as they started to understand how big this technological advancement could be for them, record labels knew things would never be the same for them either.

Today, indie artists can launch and establish their brands and career online. There’s a plethora of social media platforms that indie artists can use to build a career for themselves. Twitter, Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube are all very popular in Nigeria. Each of these platforms has its rules and best practices so indie artists must learn how to navigate each one.

Twitter favors writing. It’s much easier to interact with fans online and connect with them. You don’t even have to always talk about your music, just be yourself and connect with your fans. Instagram and Tiktok are great for short-form video content.

Social media plays a role in the success of many artists regardless of their country of origin.

If you want to drop a teaser or snippet of your music, that’s where to go. If you want to make short, creative videos that are funny, entertaining, educative, or all of the above, Instagram and Tiktok are still your go-to.

Youtube is where you can display your talent in its full glory. They also have short-form content like Instagram and Tiktok, but you get the chance to upload videos as long as you want. I recommend having a Youtube channel alongside whatever social media platforms you choose to use.

Facebook helps you get intimate with fans. You can launch an artist page and a Facebook group where your super fans can join up and connect with you.

Combined, these social media platforms boast 4.7 billion users worldwide and 33 million in Nigeria. Numbers only record labels could ever achieve are now within reach of everyone with internet access. The task for indie artists is now to learn how to make the best use of social media, and I have five tips to help you out...

5 Tips for Making It on Social Media

Create content.

Having a social media account is not enough, there has to be something that attracts people to you. That’s where content creation comes in. The content you create is what will make you stand out from among the multitude of social media accounts. This means you must be creative with what kind of content you create.

If you’re a rapper, do creative freestyles. Sample songs that are unorthodox and turn them into cool-sounding clips. If you’re a singer, make covers of popular songs. Take an Adele song and make it Afropop, or sing the soul version of a Davido song. You also don’t have to stick to one thing, social media lets you explore as much as you want.

Build a brand.

While the internet may have come to stay, social media platforms can easily vanish. In the early 2000s, MySpace was probably the most popular social media platform in Nigeria. Today, I can't remember the last time I heard anyone talk about it.

Even if the social media platform doesn't crash, you still run the risk of getting your account suspended or banned for whatever reason. One solution to this is to build a brand.

Have something you're known for, and become a household name. That way, you don't depend on social media platforms. Instead, you're only using them as a channel. If you build a brand, your influence can extend beyond social media.

Indie artists of today know the power of building an online community.

Use multiple platforms.

Another solution to the fickleness of social media is to use multiple platforms. I already mentioned YouTube as essential. You can combine it with any number of social media platforms. Use the same name in all your accounts for easy recognition and have similar content too. This will reduce the chances of losing everything with any sudden changes.

Another important benefit of using different platforms is that they all offer you different services. I already mentioned Instagram and TikTok being good for hortshort-formtent while YouTube allows longer-form videos. Twitter then lets you interact better with your fans. Do you now see how using only one social media will deprive you of the benefits of the other?

Connect with fans.

In Nigeria, fans value interaction. They like to see the human side of artists. Make random posts about yourself, not only about music. Reply to comments, crack jokes, share some frustrations, and celebrate wins. Just be yourself. Nigerian fans love that. If the fans believe they can connect with you, they'll accept you as one of them. Once they accept you as one of them, there's no stopping you.

Be consistent.

"Winners don't quit" is one of the most cliche pieces of advice I know, but it remains totally and unquestionably true. You have to show up regularly to get a social media following. Many coaches will advise you to post content every single day. You'll get tired and frustrated sometimes, but you can't stop. Consistency alone will put you above 80% of your peers. Whenever you feel like stopping, remember the slogan from the movie Finding Nemo. Keep going, just keep going…

Final Thoughts

Social media has changed the music industry in Nigeria without a doubt. Indie artists can now reach millions of people all over the world, something only record labels could do some decades ago. Now more than ever, the stage is set for your success as an indie artist.

The whole world could be at your feet if only you can hack social media. Now the ball is in your court, what will you do with it?