Ace Nigerian musician, Mike Okri has revealed plans to release his latest body of work ‘Lend A Hand’ featuring young singers such as Omawumi, Yemi Alade, and Seyi Shay.
These were revealed during a press briefing by Dr. Olakunle Oladehin, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of TuneAfrique, a music streaming and distribution company.
It was gathered that the press briefing was organized as a result of the partnership entered between and TuneAfrique and the veteran singer, Mike Okri.
During the press briefing, the CEO explained the partnership as a strategic move that will provide necessary advanced funding support to help artists in their promotions, and also relieve the worry associated with lack of financial support, especially for independent artists.
Dr. Oladehin maintains that Mike Okri had a track record of delivering quality music, stating that, the decision to bank on him came from the review of his existing catalog and the projection of his current body of work, including his collaborations with other younger artists such as Omawumi, Yemi Alade, and Seyi Shay.
While still speaking, Dr. Oladehin stated that as part of the company’s growth strategy, it had appointed two new members of the team – Hembadoon Peter Thomas and Folami Ayedun to serve in the capacity of Artiste and Label Service Directors.
Meanwhile, Peter-Thomas also explained the activities that are in focus for artiste development in the organization, stating that the organization offers stand-out services, adding that, their goal is to bridge the gap and allow artists from every generation and every genre to benefit from their craft, as long as the content is viable.
He also said the organization is expanding its reach to the inner cities, stating that, recently, they visited underground artists in Jos and Makurdi.
Peter-Thomas further stated that the organization is also teaching people how to monetize their music and also provides the options that would enable them to do so.
However, Mike Okri, while expressing optimism about the partnership stated that it was a union of two forces.
He said when one has an idea, one of the key elements of bringing it to the lead is based on how the person makes the right impact.
According to Mike Okri, TuneAfrique has proven that they know the landscape, especially when it comes to streaming African music, adding that, so, it is a union of two forces.
He also added that “I am partnering with them because I know they are capable. In my yearly visits to Nigeria, I have been studying how the music industry has grown so far, and I have to know what needs to be done to add my quota.” Adding that, everyone wants to make money but this goes just beyond money for us. We want to make sure whatever we do is of good quality. He added.
The ‘Time Na Money crooner further talked about the damage being caused by pirates in the music industry, stating that, the situation had improved. Adding that “Things have changed for the better. It’s not like pirates cannot infringe on copyrights but it’s easier to detect now unlike in our days when one person could just take a compact disc and duplicate thousands of it, meanwhile the authentic CDs would not be making money.
Mike Okri, also share some of his thoughts on the type of music being stirred out by young artists, according to him, we need to understand that there would always be a club and dance music. But even then, poetry should be put into consideration.
He said, people, are not stupid. If they dance to a particular song without content because of the beat (melody), after some time, they would get tired of it and need a change. We are in the position of changing that. We don’t want to be radical but systematic about it. All artists should be able to play at least one instrument or the other.
However, TuneAfrique has flagged off its support partnership program with Mike Okri whose new project, ‘Lend a Hand’ would be exclusively be delivered to all digital platforms.
The company has pride itself as a distribution platform of choice for artists and labels within and outside Nigeria.
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