Explainer

touring
The Real Bottlenecks Behind Africa’s Touring Gap

A touring party is rarely just the artiste. It can include musicians, dancers, managers, production…

merchandise
Why African Music Still Hasn’t Built a Real Merchandise Economy

For many African artistes, merchandise begins and ends with a T-shirt bearing their name. In…

brand deal
More Than a Face: Who Controls an Artiste’s Identity After a Brand Deal Is Signed?

The most important question in an artiste’s brand deal is not how much they are…

arthouse
Arthouse vs. Indie: What’s the Difference?

Independent cinema tells us about the conditions under which a film was made. Arthouse cinema…

arthouse
Why Nigerians Call Every Festival Film Arthouse

The Nigerian usage of arthouse is less an error than an adaptation. It is a…

arthouse
What Makes a Film Arthouse?

If history demonstrates anything, it is that arthouse has never been a label with rigid…

artiste
Why African Artistes Need to Think About Their Name, Image, and Likeness as Legal Assets

An artiste’s most valuable asset is not always the music itself. Sometimes, it is the…

Fela Anikulapo Kuti
The Catalogue Lives On: What Happens to an Artiste’s Music After Death?

Death does not end the earning life of a music catalogue. What determines whether that…

contract
Before You Sign: The Contract Clauses African Artistes Keep Glossing Over

A music contract can still affect  an artiste’s career long after the excitement of the…

beat license
Beat Licences, Publishing Rights, and What African Artistes Keep Getting Wrong

A beat licence, when properly structured, is meant to define the terms of that use…