A Nigeria-based music critic, Emmanuel Daraloye, has urged new entrants into music criticism to explore other genres apart from Afrobeats in their reviews. He stated this while delivering a lecture at a three-day workshop organised by Indy Press at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State.

In a lecture titled: “The Art of Music Review,” the senior music critic at Afrocritik emphasized the need for new entrants to explore niches within the music industry.

Quoting him, he said, “Right now, there is an untapped niche in the music industry. The industry doesn’t have enough journalists who review genres like Highlife, Juju, Fuji, etc. These are traditional Nigerian genres. Any music critic who makes this his or her niche sits on a goldmine.”

While responding to questions after the over forty-five-minute lecture, one of the participants asked him how she could remain balanced in her writings. In his response, he advised her to strive to maintain a level of fairness in her writing.

Speaking on the current fiasco between some Nigerian artists, the graduate of English Education stated, “The Nigerian music industry is beyond Wizkid, Davido, or Burna Boy. It is important for music critics to avoid being caught in their web of fire; they should do their job and keep it moving.”

He also stressed the importance of putting in the work rather than just talking, revealing how he wrote 365 reviews in 2021. Apart from writing, he encouraged them to explore audio-visual means to analyze music, as well as the ‘explainer’s arc’ of reviewing.

The workshop, organised by the entertainment desk at Indy Press, University of Ibadan, is an ongoing project aimed at improving the quality of reviews written by campus journalists (particularly entertainment writers) and other participants (with an emphasis on students of the University of Ibadan), by enhancing their skills for critically evaluating music and its many forms.

Favour Bamijoko, the entertainment editor of Indy Press, and Aduwo Ayodele, who served as editor-in-chief, were full of praise for Emmanuel Daraloye’s insightful lecture.

The Great Independence Hall Press, University of Ibadan, shortly referred to as Indy Press, was established in 1984. It is a social-justice-oriented campus journalism outlet with a wide readership at the University of Ibadan. Indy Press has been a consistent winner of the Best Hall and Overall Best Local Press organization at the University of Ibadan.