Nigerian comedian and entertainer Ayo Makun, popularly known as AY, has revealed that the fees demanded by Nigerian musicians to perform at his annual AY Live comedy show have risen significantly, with some artistes reportedly charging as much as N200 million.
AY also disclosed that some relatively unknown or emerging artistes now demand fees of up to N80 million to appear at the event.
The comedian made the disclosure while reflecting on the changing cost of securing music stars for AY Live over the years.
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According to him, several of Nigeria’s biggest music acts, including Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage and Olamide, have performed at the comedy show. He noted that their appearances were previously facilitated largely by personal relationships and friendships.
“For many years, since the beginning of AY Live, Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Olamide have all performed at AY Live,” he said.
“In those days, many appearances were made possible through friendship. An artiste would accept any reasonable amount to cover their logistics, but today, the Nigerian musicians charge N200 million, N120 million, N80 million to appear on my show,” he added.
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AY linked the sharp increase in performance fees to the expansion and internationalisation of Nigeria’s music industry.
He explained that Nigerian artistes have developed several revenue streams, including music streaming, international endorsement deals and other opportunities that pay in foreign currencies.
“The industry has changed that today the Nigerian musicians are global stars, they earn from streaming, international endorsements, several other opportunities that come in foreign currencies. So they no longer depend on comedy shows for visibility,” he said.
The comedian further expressed surprise at the amounts being demanded by emerging artistes who have yet to attain mainstream recognition.
“Even the upcoming artists wey never blow dey ask for N80 million,” AY said.
He explained that establishing a personal relationship with an artiste can make the process of booking them less expensive, particularly as some performers may be willing to make concessions for people they know personally.
“The reality is that if you don’t have a strong personal relationship with any of these artists, bringing them to a comedy show can really be expensive,” he said.
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