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Leading Nigerian record label Mavin is trying to unlock Africa’s music-touring potential by developing regional performance circuits and breaking into a global market dominated by Western nations.
The global rise in popularity of African music in recent years has seen successful homegrown artists gross tens of millions of dollars in touring revenues — mostly in markets outside the continent, particularly in North America and Europe.
Mavin, in which Universal Music Group last year acquired a majority stake in a deal estimated to be in the tens of millions of dollars, partnered with Nairobi-based online ticketing platform HustleSasa and African entertainment media company Trace to begin an East African tour. The ‘East Side’ tour — spanning Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania — kicked off in Nairobi with several prominent artists on the Mavin roster including Magixx, Bayani, and Boy Spyce.
Speaking to Semafor, HustleSasa founder Peng Chen described the Mavin tour as a “proof of concept” meant to offer a blueprint for regional tours in Africa and, ultimately, a continental touring circuit. Their strategy entails building “an ecosystem of trust” between promoters, labels, venues, and ticketing companies to support sustainable touring in Africa.
He said the biggest challenge faced by major artists looking to tour in Africa was in booking multiple stops, due to the fragmented nature of the touring ecosystem. “They (artists) are like, look, if I’m coming all the way here... losing two days of travel just to do one show and then two days of travel back, it has to be worthwhile,” he explained.
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Mavin hopes to use regional tours to introduce newer acts to African audiences and lay the foundation for the emergence of new global superstars. Mavin was notably responsible for breaking one of Africa’s top acts at the moment, Calm Down singer Rema.
Recent major concerts in East Africa have highlighted the potential for touring on the continent for African stars. Nigeria’s Burna Boy performed to a sold-out crowd of thousands in Nairobi’s Uhuru Gardens in March while US singer John Legend also packed out the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, in February for the Move Afrika concert.
Touring in the region is held back by inadequate infrastructure, such as world-class arenas and stadiums. However, increased public investments in this area could be a boon to the sector. In March, Tanzania unveiled plans to build a $175 million arena. Kenya also announced the redevelopment of one of its largest convention centers, Bomas, to enable it to host more events including major concerts.
Martin’s view
Regular multi-city tours within the continent are welcome as they would have massive benefits for the larger music industry in Africa and local economies in general. Importantly, they would help attract investment towards local record labels and artist development programs as the financial potential becomes more apparent.
It would also incentivize investment in infrastructure such as arenas, recording studios, and stadiums. The impact of major concerts on local economies — boosting sectors including transportation, accommodation, and food and beverages — would also stimulate much-needed economic growth.
Africa’s large youth population — coupled with increasing technology adoption and growing incomes — offers ideal conditions for the long-term development of this sector.
Room for Disagreement
Ian Mwangi, a Nairobi-based venture consultant, said that growth of the touring market in Africa would be stifled by the high cost of intra-African travel, as well as inadequate infrastructure to host world-class events.
“It’s often less expensive to travel from Nairobi to Dubai, for example, compared to travelling from Nairobi to South Africa or Egypt,” he noted, adding that restrictive visa regimes would also affect African artists’ ability to move easily on the continent with their entourages.
Notable
- Tanzania secured a $2.5 billion soft loan from South Korea last month for the construction of a 15,000-capacity arena for entertainment and sport events in Dar es Salaam.