Why Nigerian artists earn less from music streaming, by Sarz
Music producer Osabuohien Osaretin, popularly known as Sarz, has shed light on the disparity in music streaming revenues between Nigeria and Western countries. Appearing in a recent episode of the
Music producer Osabuohien Osaretin, popularly known as Sarz, has shed light on the disparity in music streaming revenues between Nigeria and Western countries.
Appearing in a recent episode of the Afropolitan podcast, Sarz noted that while a million streams in the US earns between $3,000-$5,000, Nigerian artists earn a mere $300-$500 for the same number of streams.
“A million streams from the United States is maybe $3000-$5000. That same 1 million streams from Nigeria is arguably maybe $300-$500, but it will cost you the same amount to market or promote a song in Nigeria as much as it would cost you abroad,” he remarked.
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Sarz attributes this disparity to economic factors, stating that Western subscribers pay more due to their stronger economies.
“We are waiting for the state of the country to get better so other things can start improving.
“I think we have done very well with the resources that we have and despite all the obstacles against us.”
He emphasised that Nigerians love music but lack the resources to afford premium subscriptions, making local streams less valuable.
Read Also: Why I reached out to Sarz at early career days – Niniola
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“I mean, people are streaming music, the people that can’t stream can’t afford it. But people listen to music across the country, and if they can’t afford streaming, it just means that they don’t have the money to", he said.
He stressed that empowering citizens to afford streaming services is key to boosting local music revenue.
“And how do we empower them? Back to the government. So, we are just waiting till the economy gets better", he added.
