SONY MUSIC OPENS OFFICE IN LAGOS WITH MICHAEL UGWU TO MANAGE WEST AFRICA

Sony Music Entertainment has opened an office in Lagos Nigeria recruiting music business entrepreneur Michael Ugwu as General Manager to manage its West African operations. This is part of a long-term strategy to open offices in a number of key markets in the region.

It also recently began the process of registering to do business in Nairobi, Kenya, which will anchor the Sony Music’s physical operations in East Africa.

In connection with the opening of operations in Lagos, Sony Music recently signed Nigerian superstar Davido to a worldwide deal. 

In East Africa, SME has partnered with local artists in the region as well, recently signing Redsan amongst others.

These moves build upon Sony Music's existing business initiatives in Africa, where the company is already a market leader. Sony Music has long had offices in South Africa, in both Johannesburg and Cape Town, and throughout the continent, Sony Music earns revenue from partners including Vevo, YouTube, Apple Music and iTunes. In addition, in West Africa, music content is currently available through MTN Nigeria's service via IMI, and in East Africa it currently conducts trade with Kenya's largest mobile network operator, Safaricom, a company that boasts in excess of 10 million CRBT subscribers.

"Expansion in Africa has been part of our strategy for several years," said Adam Granite, President, Northern & Eastern Europe andAfrica, Sony Music International. "As the region continues to grow, we see significant opportunities to market the incredible local talent in Africa to the rest of the world as well as import our repertoire and exploit it on emerging digital platforms." said Sean Watson, Managing Director of Sony Music Entertainment Africa, "We are really keen to partner with African artists to deliver local, African and global success stories. With over 800 million people living in Sub Saharan Africa, the African continent is a market with huge potential for local artists wanting to expand their horizons."

Sony Music recently signed a content agreement with African telecoms giant MTN as part of its growth in Africa.

SPECIAL FEATURE: Nigeria's film and music industry falls foul of censors

Nigeria's burgeoning pop music industry and film-makers have been accused of producing "pornographic" content that is sexualising society.

There is growing discontent among religious figures and in the media in Nigeria – which has one of the most influential entertainment industries in Africa – with content from some of the country's most popular artists frequently banned by censors.

"It is common to see kids as young as five years old dressed in tight-fitting dresses, their faces glistening with makeup, dancing sensuously to modern day songs with sexually explicit lyrics," said Elder Godsday Orubebe, the minister of Niger Delta affairs and senior pastor of the Glory Sanctuary Christian Centre, speaking at a recent church anniversary.

"We live in a hypersensualised age and much from our westernised popular culture is rife with pornography and the sexualisation of women".

Michael Ugwu, the chief executive officer of Iroking, an online centre for afrobeat and Nigerian music, said there has been a large increase in the number of music videos being banned for broadcast in Nigeria.

"Artists have begun releasing videos purely for the internet to get round the censors. I have seen the content of both music and movie videos get more and more racy."

Casualties of Nigeria's state censors include Iyanya, the popular artist whose recent single Head Swell was released last month online only, and P Square, the identical-twin music duo signed by the American star Akon, whose hit single Alingo was also censored for Nigerian TV.

Church figures have been among outspoken critics of the new trend. Nigeria's film industry, popularly known as "Nollywood", has also been producing a growing number of films with erotic themes, such as Bold 5 Babes, described as "an erotic comedy about a group of women with supernatural powers they use to seduce men and turn them into BlackBerry Bold 5 smartphones", and other titles like I Slept with my Boss's Wife and Strippers in Love.

Industry figures say that the move towards more sexual content is an inevitable part of competing in a crowded market and catching up with global trends.

"More and more people are bringing out movies and music videos, so just as in the west, people are using increasingly racy subject matter to get viewers' attention," said Ugwu.

"There is a tension between African culture and this new wave of modernity and naked bodies," Ugwu added. "People are pushing the envelope, but it's not just happening here in Nigeria, it's everywhere. This kind of content has been aired on channels like MTV since the 1980s."

"What's happening in music videos and movies in Nigeria would be considered normal in the UK or the US," said Tony Tagoe, a Ghana-based former artist manager. "It is just that in countries that are very religious, where churches and imams have a strong influenced, they are noticed more."

courtesy Afua Hirsch, West Africa correspondent

theguardian.com