Prepping the Musical Artistes of ‘Morrow

IIyke Bede

What does it take to kickstart my musical career?” probably ranks high on any aspiring artiste’s list hoping to break into the mainstream, whether as an indie or label act. The answer lies in truly understanding the business side of their artistry, the business of music, and the revenue opportunities it offers.

Through its ‘Campus Drop’ initiative, streaming platform Spotify hosted students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) during a two-day workshop programme, held on July 30 and 31, to help them better understand how the global and local music ecosystems work in synergy, exposing them to the structures they must familiarise themselves with to better navigate the industry for growth, visibility, and revenue.

Split into two, ‘Campus Drop’ leveraged ‘Fresh Finds on Campus’ to meet with new musical acts and students to build their knowledge of the industry, while ‘No Data, No Problem’ leaned heavily into Spotify’s experiential listening, highlighting mobile data management.

The ‘Fresh Finds’ workshops gave students, many of whom aspire to careers in music, a broader understanding of what it takes to succeed in an industry where talent alone is rarely enough. Rather than focusing solely on songwriting or performance, Spotify introduced participants to how artistes build careers, explore opportunities, assemble professional teams, and market their work in an increasingly streaming-driven industry.

The four workshop sessions, held at Madhouse by Tikera, highlighted the different roles that support an artiste’s career, from managers and producers to marketing professionals and other industry partners. Discussions also explored how streaming platforms fit into the wider music ecosystem, giving participants a clearer picture of how music is discovered, promoted and consumed, and the decisions artistes must make to build sustainable careers. Through questions and discussions with speakers, students gained practical insights into the realities of today’s music business and the knowledge required to navigate it.

“Young people don’t experience music in isolation; they discover it while building communities, learning new skills and sharing everyday moments,” said Spotify’s Artist and Label Partnerships Manager for West Africa, Victor Okpala. “Campus Drop was designed around that reality. We wanted students to leave with something practical, whether that was understanding how Offline Listening fits into their lives or discovering an artist they hadn’t heard before.”

The workshop culminated in an evening of special performances by a crop of new and up-and-coming artistes to light up the night as students trooped in to enjoy live performances that capped a day of learning, networking and conversations about the future of music.

Fresh Finds artiste Solana, whose Yoruba pop hit ‘Okunkun’ has gained viral attention, was one of the evening’s most anticipated performers. Another standout performance came from Cappoditutti, a University of Lagos student-artiste who earned a spot on the lineup after winning a Spotify Africa social media poll. Dxtiny also drew loud reactions from the audience with performances of fan favourites including ‘NSA’, ‘Uncle Pele’ and ‘Babcock’. The lineup also featured Zaylevelten, Taves, Muyeez, Oshamo, Scotty Olorin, Lodu and Wave$tar.