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| Fola Folayan |
Fola Folayan is the originator of the #DearArtiste hashtag on Twitter. What started in 2011 as an avenue to voice her frustration over the state of the Nigerian music industry has turned into a company that organises seminars where upcoming artists are mentored; an artiste management and publicity firm. The Nigerian Info OAP, who maintained her day job throughout, spoke to Naij.com about the ups and downs of managing Nigerian musicians, the growth of the music industry and what an artist needs to do to become and remain relevant.
Fola Folayan
Why did you create the ‘dear artiste’ hashtag?
It’s more than a hashtag really. #dearartiste is like four years old. I was at home watching Music Africa on TV and they were showing all these videos that I felt were not really very well done. So I just started tweeting my opinion on them with the #dearartiste tag and people started following the tweets. Before, I did that every Wednesday because it was my day off. Then when I noticed the following, I decided to organise a workshop where all these people who follow the tweets could come and get properly mentored. I got some industry people – ID Cabasa was my first facilitator; DJ Xcel, Ill Bliss and Booboo Game Plan. They facilitated the workshop and spoke to upcoming artistes and it was amazing. From there, we decide to create a website, put up the tweets alongside regular articles that cover all the basic areas of the music business. We started hosting seminars every year, open mic events and then a rap competition called Battle of the MCs. It just graduated from there and became a full-fledged company where we not only host seminars but also work with labels, entertainment consulting as well as artist development.
How did you finance the seminars?
Initially, it was self-fiannced, driven by passion. I had friends, we pulled resources together. But along the line we started getting partnerships and sponsors. Being in the media also helped. Getting publicity and media partnership was not hard for me as I am in the business. It was a simple matter of getting my colleague to help out.
When you started the hashtag, did you have any prior experience in music or artist management?
Interestingly, no. I worked on radio before #dearartiste started. I have had to deal with upcoming artists, I know their struggles. I know some of the things they go through. I talk to a lot of them and get to learn how they think, and I saw that a lot of times, their reasoning worked against them. Apart from that, I studied – short courses online. It was after #dearartiste that I tried my hands on (artiste) management and found out that was not my strong suit but publicity. With my experience in media, publicity is in my blood. I leveraged on that and studied more. You know, the more you work, the more you learn on the job and get better at it by the day.
How did you get into the media business?
I started with broadcasting from when I was very little, like eight years old. I got my first shot working at NTA, then it graduated from there. I studied mass communication at the University of Maiduguri. While at school, I interned at several TV stations and radio; also, during my youth service. Music or entertainment has always been a part of me. I initially wanted to be a musician but when I got into the media, it just took over my attention and I realised that I loved media more. Being in the media allows me to work behind the scenes with artists. I got to concentrate on the business of entertainment and I loved it and I stayed with it.
How many artists do you currently manage?
I was going to say none, but I am just about to take on a new client. About two years ago, I disengaged from all my clients because I wanted to focus on other things. I had some responsibilities, some personal developments that I wanted to focus on. I don’t take on clients just like that, it has to be someone I really believ in, has a shot and personal hustle. Sometimes, you have these guys, they are talented but that is not enough in this business. Apart from talent, you have to have drive. I just found someone that I might be considering working with, but I am still waiting to see how far he can go by himself and then I’ll know when to come in.
How easy is it managing artists?
It’s not easy. They misbehave, are unruly and headstrong. That’s why I decided to move into publicity and public relations because management… You can’t just have a manager as an artist. You have to have a business, a personal as well as a road manager. Most times, in the Nigerian entertainment business, except you are a major A list artist, only then do you have all three (managing the artist at once.) You usually find one person playing all three roles; it is not easy. I have a day job as an OAP so I can’t be following you around, carrying your bags. I am not your road manager, that’s the job of a road manager. A business manager is one who helps you get the deals and negotiates them with your lawyer. I used to do that. I was a personal manager. In the business, sometimes, you find a manager doing the job of a PR person and a publicist. So, it was a lot of work and very hard. Sometimes, you get emotionally attached to your client. You really love them and then they break your heart. So I decided to give that up and focus on PR and publicity.
Which current artist would you say is a physical representation of ‘success according to #dearartiste rule book’?
I am very impressed with Abuja-based soft rock singer-songwriter Zainab Sule. She is independent, not signed to a label, but has managed to craft a niche for herself. First, she found her sound, then her place. She stayed in it, knows her audience and markets to her audience and that is what I always teach. She also knows how to work the system. On social media, where I first noticed her, she is amazing. I followed her career and realized, oh my God, this girl knows the right thing to do. One thing with record labels is that they don’t sign you because you are talented but because they see some form of organisation. They see that this person can be sold, because it is a profit making business.
Going by all what you have said, what is your take on the Nigerian music industry in terms of professionalism and structure?
We are getting better. It used to be terrible. Although we are not where we should be, the structures are being put in place. We have a new cropo f entertainment business professionals who are beginning to see the light. As the old generation is slowly fading out, we have the new (artists) coming in and they are seeing that things are different now. You have digital music distribution coming up, agencies, royalty collection agencies, a yearly Nigerian entertainment conference… We have standard booking agents. In the last couple if weeks, I worked with Sarz Academy. Sarz is a music producer and what he does is raise and mentor producers. Companies are becoming better structured as people are becoming better informed.
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