Burna Boy, a globally recognised Nigerian music act is one of the artists that are benefitting from the 2022 beta launch of Ticketmaster and TikTok ticketing collaboration in the United States. As both platforms are set to expand across more than 20 new countries spanning Europe, North America, and South America, the African music market seems to be left out in the initiative.
Africa has seen remarkable contributions to the global music market, with Nigeria, in particular, making substantial waves. The omission prompts questions about the inclusivity of the expansion strategy, shedding light on the ongoing struggle for African nations to align with and influence international music market trends.
Burna Boy who has had most of his music tours abroad in some of the biggest stages in the world is already embarking on a series of 18 concerts and tours from November 17, 2023 to March 11, 2024. The concerts will be held in various cities across the United States, Germany, Belgium, Canada, and the Bahamas. None of those concerts will be held in Nigeria or any city in Africa.
The economic crunch in countries such as Nigeria where Burna Boy is from is a reflection of how the music market in Nigeria is and how it would be unfavourable for international platforms to make considerable gain if they decide to organise concerts or music festivals in regions like Nigeria or any other African countries.
In recent developments, prominent artists signed with renowned international recording studios have been exposed to better industry structures compared to those in Nigeria. Consequently, these artists now prefer to receive payments in dollars. This shift has led local show promoters to increase ticket prices, placing a financial burden on fans and potentially diminishing the culture of attending music shows due to reduced disposable income.
James Ndubuisi, CEO SoundHive Group on some of the challenges faced in the touring industry as a result of top Nigerian artists now accepting only dollar payment said, “High prices affect almost everyone as Nigerians are currently going through unprecedented hardships. This means only the upper class can afford tickets, this creates a divide which isn’t good for growth. This will eventually lead to low turn out on event days. Inclusivity is lost on the low income earners and when local fans are priced out of concert going it affects the local artists it means less events and less opportunities.”
The partnership which promises to help artists sell tickets to fans directly in the app, expands in the U.S. and launches for the first time in the UK, Ireland, Australia, Germany, France, Canada, Mexico, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Spain and Sweden.
Apart from Burna Boy, other artists including the likes of Niall Horan, The Kooks, and Shania Twain, had successful ticketing campaigns and there have been more than 2.5 billion views of videos utilising the in-app features by artists, sports teams and event organisers since its beta launch.
Michael Kümmerle, Global Music Partnership Development Lead, TikTok, said, “By enabling fans to buy tickets directly through TikTok, we’re giving artists the opportunity to reach ticket buyers in a whole new way and change the game for live events around the world. As we bring fans closer to the artists and events they love, we hope to deliver further value to all artists throughout all stages of their careers and provide more opportunities for a growing fanbase.”
