In this article, I am going to reveal to you how to get money to start a music career in Nigeria.
You probably might have implemented the necessary strategies to get a sponsor for your music career and it all proved abortive.
Your proposal for music artists sponsorship might have been well written, and you delivered them to your 5 to 10 potential sponsors, but to date; you’ve not had any positive feedback.
The only feedback you might have gotten, which seems like a false hope; was a promise by one of the sponsors you approached that he will sponsor you soon after he has gotten some loads off his back.
I call it false hope because such promises have never been known to be fulfilled.
And I hate it most because it always makes so many artists go back home and waste their time waiting for that help that is never forthcoming.
And so now that you’ve gotten in touch with that article that is going to help you out, I hope you stick and read it to the end; if you really want to know how to raise money to jumpstart your music career.
Most of the articles or sources you may find online about how to raise money for music career sponsorship will tell you to get a job, do a side hustle, or even venture into online businesses.
But these strategies usually take a longer time to yield positive results, and you are not supposed to wait that long.
So in this article, I am going to show you two strategies I used to get money to start my music career in 2005.
And I do hope it is going to help you as it did to me.
How to get money to start a music career in Nigeria.
If you want to get money to start a music career in Nigeria, you must record at least one song which you will use to create a special appeal package you are going to give out to your proposed sponsors.
- Record at least 1 track.
- Create a special appeal package.
- Give out the appeal packages.
Now let’s explain the above points one after the other.
1. Record at least 1 track.
When reaching out to people trying to get money to start your music career in Nigeria, you must have something to prove to them that you are musically talented; and are not trying to extort them.
And the only thing you can show them is your song.
I am assuming you don’t have any money to go to the studio and record a professional song. So, therefore, you need to grab the opportunity the internet has made possible for upcoming artists to make music and overcome every challenge there could ever be.
And that is to download an instrumental and find an affordable studio to do a voice-over on it.
Ensure the producer mixes the song for clarity.
Even 1 track is okay in this case.
2. Create a special appeal package.
What I call a special appeal package consists of
- Your promo CD.
- An appeal letter.
- An A4 paper-sized envelope.
Now, this is what you are simply going to do to compile your special appeal package.
Run an artwork or album cover design that has your name and song title and print it on the CD.
You can also print a CD jacket if you have the money.
Now write an appeal letter asking the person to help you with some funds to enable you to complete your music album; which is already undergoing recording in the studio.
On the A4-sized envelope, print your artwork or album cover art design on one side and write on one side “A special appeal for music career sponsorship”, or “Appeal fund for music career support”.
Or whichever title will appeal to you most?
3. Sort out people and Give out the appeal packages.
The final stage is to sort out people and give out the special appeal package to them.
The appeal is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as a request to the public for money, information, or help.
An example is given below:
They’re launching (= starting) an appeal to raise money for famine victims.
Don’t just drop the package and walk away, rather take the time to explain to the person, you are giving the envelope to; what he is going to find inside.
Concluding with the fact that you need his or her support, to enable you to finish recording your album; which is already undergoing recording in the studio.
Before we draw a conclusion on this article, let us look to get an understanding of what is music career sponsorship; and why you need it so much to grow your music career.
What is music career sponsorship?
Music career sponsorship is simply a process where you set aside funds that will help you finance all your musical projects.
In order words, music career sponsorship entails having the capital that will help you invest in your career to become a successful musician.
Why do you need a music career sponsorship?
As I always say, music is business; and you need to have a business mindset if you really want to become successful as an artist.
Even if you are looking to sign a record deal, there is no record label that has been known to pick artists from scratch; rather they are always on the lookout to find artists who have gone a bit farther in their musical careers.
And to go any farther in your musical career, you must invest money.
And it is common knowledge that 95 percent of musicians do not have the capital to invest when starting out in their music career. For that reason, they must look for a means of getting someone, persons, or organizations to sponsor them.
Why you must sponsor yourself when starting out your music career.
However, there are not that many sponsors out there that are willing to give out money to a musician in the name of sponsorship; unless that musician is a popular one at that.
This, therefore, means that you are the one who is going to start sponsoring yourself; and somewhere down the line, you are going to get noticed by people who will be more than willing to sponsor you.
Consider this article a timely piece that shows you, in a very simple way; how to raise money for music career sponsorship.
So, therefore, you need a music career sponsorship in order to get your music career off the ground running.
And while starting out, you need to look at yourself as the sole sponsor of your music career.
And even though it is not your own hard-earned money you are going to use in sponsoring your music career; you need to know the right steps to get people to do so for you in some ways.
In our next sub-heading, I am going to share with you the tips I personally used to get money for my own music career way back in 2005.
I was able to raise so much money to make my music. My parents alone gave me 75,000 Naira (seventy-five thousand Naira), and you can tell how big such an amount was back then.
So if you follow the steps I am going to show you accurately, you will be smiling at the bank when you raise so much money that will help you make music as well as fund your musical career by yourself.
But as a rule of thumb, this tip will work well for those who have well-to-do family members, or at least close politicians and top business people in your locality you can reach.
Even if they don’t show up for the event, you can always visit them much after to give them your CD and collect what they have to offer.
Well, you are going to get all this understanding properly if you stick and read this article to the very end.
This tip is even easier than trying to find a sponsor for your music career.
Well without much ado, let’s get into this article properly.
How to raise money to make music.
This article on how to raise money to make music is a step-by-step guide you need to follow properly, and the steps are:
- Record at least an EP of 3 to 4 songs.
- Choose a title for your event.
- Fix a date.
- Scout for the venue.
- Consult the important personalities as special invitees.
- Print flyers, posters, and especially envelopes. (Include the name of the personalities on them)
- Invite as many people as you can.
- Get a sound MC and DJ for the event.
- Produce CDs.
- What to do on the D-Day.
- Follow up with those who were unable to attend the function.
Now let’s get down to explain the above points one after the other, to help you properly understand them.
Step #1. Record at least an EP of 3 to 4 songs.
There is no way you are going to gather people for a fundraising or listening party without having your music already on board.
Single is not going to work very well in this case because people will feel bored listening to one song you’ve done.
And since you don’t have much money to record an album, the best choice, therefore, is to record an EP of at least 3 to 4 tracks.
As a matter of fact, the songs do not necessarily have to be properly mixed and mastered.
So what you should do is negotiate with your producer to do a rough mix that will make the songs good to listen to, promising him to pay for the mixing and mastering after the event.
Once you get your 3 to 4 tracks EP done, you can then move on to the next step.
Step #2. Choose a title for your event.
The next step is to choose a title for your event, and the 3 popular suggested titles are:
- Launching
- Fundraising
- Listening party.
Make sure any of the above titles is going to pass the message across to the people that you need their financial contribution towards your musical career.
I tagged mine “launching” so I was able to easily let people know that I needed their financial support and I got it.
So after deciding on which of the above title you are going to settle for, you can move on to the next step.
Step #3. Fix a date.
Fixing a date is very crucial to the success of your event because if you pick the wrong date it is going to affect your turn up and that may trigger a low income from the event.
So below are the 4 things you should put into consideration while trying to fix a date for your event.
- If you are here in Nigeria and most of the people you are looking to invite are salary earners, then you should consider the first week of the month. If the first week of the month falls from the 1st to the 5th, you can go for the second week. You need to do this to enable those you are inviting, I mean the salary earners; to have money in their hands.
- Secondly, you need to avoid the rainy season, because if rain falls on that day, you are done with it.
- Thirdly. on this point, make sure the date you fix is a weekend, that is Saturday or Sunday.
- Fourthly and finally on this point, don’t make it a night event, else you will give so many people a reason not to turn up. 2 to 3 pm is okay.
Step #4. Scout for the venue.
After fixing a date for your event, the next thing you will have to do is scout for a venue.
You want to be sure it’s a place people will easily spot; could be a bar, pub, restaurant, etc.
Don’t go to an event center, as that will require you to spend money; remember you are trying to raise money, and for that reason, you should be mindful of how you spend.
Once you see the place, try to let the owners know that you are going to attract customers to their place, and for that reason, they could even sponsor the event.
And even if they don’t agree to sponsor, make sure they don’t charge you a fee that is much.
Step #5. Consult the important personalities as special invitees.
At this point when your venue and date are confirmed, you need to pen down at least 10 important personalities as special invitees.
Below is the position you should get for all of them.
- Chairman
- Vice chairman
- Special guest of honor.
- Chief launcher.
- Co-launchers (at least 3 to 5 people).
- Father/mother of the day.
After penning these personalities down, you need to consult them one after the other.
Buy non-alcoholic drinks (wine is okay for those here in Nigeria), write a special invitee letter, and find someone responsible to go along with you to consult this person.
Step #6. Print flyers, posters, and especially envelopes. (Include the name of the personalities on them).
Now that your special invitees are on the ground, the next thing you should do is print flyers, posters, and especially envelopes for the event.
Make sure to include the name of the special invitees, that is the personalities you consulted; on them.
You can caption the write-up thus:
I, Mr. Taculia
wishes to invite the pleasure of
…… ……………..
to the launching of my musical EP
titled
Music Advice
Under the distinguished chairmanship of
………
Now put the name of the remaining personalities and then the date, venue, and time at the bottom.
You can end the invitation with the caption: Your kind financial support will be highly appreciated.
Put your numbers (at least 2) and email for people to reach out to you before the event, if they want to.
Step #7. Invite as many people as you can.
Don’t discriminate against those you are going to invite, because, during the collection of envelopes, those little sum people will put will go a long way to help.
So paste the posters everywhere around your city, and give out flyers and envelopes to every Tom and Jerry.
Step #8. Get a sound MC and DJ for the event.
The two most important people that will make your event successful are the MC and DJ.
I bet you don’t want an MC that cannot talk and move people to bring out the money in their pockets.
And you don’t as well want a DJ whose equipment will be fluctuating while playing to entertain people.
This is really going to trip people off, and that in the end might put them in a bad mood and make them return home with the money they brought.
So once you get a sound MC and Dj, the next thing to do now is to prepare for D-Day.
Step #9. Produce CDs.
Remember you are launching an EP and when people contribute to it they need to go home with proof and listen to it.
And for that reason, make sure you produce copies of your CDs; as many as you can afford.
Make sure the artwork on it is dope.
Step #10. What to do on the D-Day.
The outstanding things you have to do on D-Day are:
- Perform the song live.
- The launching proper and receiving of envelopes.
- Call on a man of God to pray and unveil the CD package.
- Let the MC invite people to come and buy at a special price. This can be from 50k down.
- Agree on a flat price and allow everybody to buy.
Step #11. Follow up with those who were unable to attend the function.
Most of your invitees must have been busy on that day, or one thing or another prevented them from turning up.
So make sure you sort them out and visit them one after the other.
Don’t go there empty-handed but with your CD.
Tell them the launching was done and successful and you came to give them your CD since they were unable to attend.
They will definitely give you something after apologizing for not being able to attend the launch.
Good luck!