Multiple award winning rap artist and producer Jude MI Abaga while
speaking as a panelist at the recently held Nigeria Entertainment
Conference in Lagos decried the increasingly heavy costs to shooting
standard music videos in the industry.
MI said in unequivocal terms that it is now “outrageously expensive”
to shoot music videos adding that it gets even more difficult as
sponsors are not forthcoming. He said this in turn makes it difficult to
put out good music.According to MI “I have a record label called Loppy
records and I must say it’s not been easy. Please if there is a sponsor
here who can help me, please I need help”
M.I on the set of a video
True to MI’s words, budgets for video shoots now run into millions of
naira, with props, models and costumes slicing thick into the
cut.Videos shot outside the country, especially in South Africa and
London take an even bigger toll on the artist.
Satelite Music channels who once feasted on Naija music videos have
begun rejecting videos shot on a low budget which they now term as
‘crap’.
In
his own words;
