Brand engages stakeholders on music, creative growth
L-R: Focus Ramon, Music Producer and Sound Engineer; Reminisce Alaga, Rapper, Song writer and Performing artist: Osagie Alonge, Director, Integrated Marketing Communications, TeamApt; Foza Fawehinmi, Entertainment Lawyer; Motolani Alake, Editor, Strategic Partnerships and Lead, Pulse Podcast Network at Pulse Nigeria; Excel Joab, A&R Consultant after serving as panelists at Tom Tom’s ‘Breathe For It’ Virtual Summit.
In a move to revitalise Nigerian music and creative sectors, TomTom, a leading candy brand in Nigeria, through its platform “Breathe For It”, has engaged stakeholders in the industry to champion youth creativity and drive.
At the recently held virtual event moderated by Motolani Alake, Editor, Strategic Partnerships and Lead, Pulse Podcast Network at Pulse Nigeria, key industry players shared insights for success within the entertainment sector.
Panelists at the event included famous songwriter and Rapper Reminisce Alaga, Director, Integrated Marketing Communications, Team Apt; Osagie Alonge, Entertainment Lawyer; Foza Fawehinmi, A&R Consultant, Excel Joab, as well as Focus Ramon, a music producer and Sound Engineer.
Speaking, Cadbury’s Category Lead (Gum and Candy) in West Africa, Morolake Emokpaire, gave more insight into the Company’s decision to champion this engagement.
“The reception we got from the audience on the summit further emphasises the reason we launched the “Breathe for it” campaign, which is to inspire, focus and build clarity in the pursuit of what Nigerian youth love. Our panelists were spot on in their delivery. You will agree with me that conversations about the music industry have to be made because it has become one of our largest exports as Nigerians and Africans.”
“As we aim to engage more Nigerian youth to breathe deeply no matter the challenges they face, we have lined up activities like MTV Base Cypher that is ongoing, “Breathe for it” Verses Challenge 2.0, which is about to start, and so much more for them to show their talents inwhat interests them the most,” Emokpaire
At the summit, the panelists urged Nigerians to always remember the history of Afrobeat as it evolves into a global sensation.
According to Alonge, the evolution of Afrobeat is a combination of the creatives, managers, brands, and technology.
“It’s a combination of a few things. However, we also have to look at the people who have driven the culture and not just the music, like the managers, brands and others in the creative space that have collaborated with these artists.”
Joab further explained the role of technology in the Nigerian music industry and its evolution in the last seven years, noting that people have started to see the value of music, which is why they subscribe to streaming platforms.
While Reminisce Alaga viewed artistes and producers as the drivers of the industry, Focus Ramon encouraged the wider Nigerian community to stop devaluing the hard work producers and sound engineers put into creating songs.
Foza Fawehinmi highlighted the need for players in the industry to be intentional and hardworking to attract more investors who can contribute to building an efficient structure that enhances the efforts of current active stakeholders.
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