Africa’s top music and entertainment television channel hosted a masterclass session recently for upcoming artistes and talent managers which centred around using traditional and new media effectively to boost artiste profiles, create and enhance artiste brand images.
After ten years of providing a global platform for Nigerian artistes, MTV Base has taken a direct approach to building upcoming Nigerian talent and the masterclass session is one of a new range of talent development programmes by the channel.
Focusing on both basic media engagement issues like interview etiquette and advanced subjects like artiste brand management, the session adopted a 360-degree approach to stimulating artiste growth in the music industry, which increasingly requires more than raw talent to achieve success.
One of the speakers at the session, Tosin Ajibade, founder of OloriSupergal addressed participants on the topic “Social Media And The Modern Artiste”. Stressing the importance of social media presence and engagement to an emerging artiste she said, “These days, it is safe to assume that the whole world lives on social media and that includes a bulk of your audience. If you are an upcoming artiste in Nigeria or anywhere in today’s world without an effective social media strategy, you are missing out on a huge opportunity.”
Also speaking at the masterclass was Pulse NG Editor-in-Chief Osagie Alonge who suggested media management strategies for new artistes to adopt while starting out in their careers. “It is absolutely important that new talents surround themselves with professionals who will take care of the aspects of their career that they themselves may not be equipped to handle.”
Also covered at the three-hour masterclass was Artiste Brand Management, which Akinyemi Solanke spoke on. The MTV Base Marketing and Digital Specialist made use of the examples of artistes like Cynthia Morgan, Jay-Z, Jesse Jagz, Rihanna and Don Jazzy to illustrate how appropriate image management can influence how they are perceived by the public. BlackHouse Media Public Relations Consultant Olubunmi Owolabi then offered a crash course in media relations to participants tagged ‘Media 101’, where basic areas like interview etiquettes were covered.
Speaking on why the session was organised, MTV Base Talent Manager, Lanre Onipede said “We at MTV Base have realised that as much as we celebrate the ‘made stars’, we need to pay attention to the upcoming ones who are the future of Nigerian music. This is why we organised this session to help these young talents learn the basics of music making, brand and character building, as well as techniques on how to become better at their careers.”
Since making its debut 10 years ago, MTV Base has not been remotely subtle about its aim of giving Nigerian artistes and content a platform and promoting them to the world. The MTV Base Official Naija Top Ten is a long-running manifestation of this, as is other programming such as One 2 Watch and Artiste Of The Month.
