Nigerian singer Abiola Ahmed Akinbiyi, better known as Bella Shmurda, has refuted claims that Nigerian artistes are skyrocketing their performance fees.
Naija News reports that Bella Shmurda, in a recent interview with Naija FM Lagos, said he and his colleagues charge high fees because of their high expenditures as musicians.
The ‘Eye Clear’ crooner explained that musicians pay many of the people who work behind the scenes on their tours from their performance fees.
He also cited the high cost of music production and promotion, as well as the expensive lifestyle required to maintain celebrity status, as reasons their performance fees are high.
He said, “Speaking from the perspectives of an artiste, making music is expensive. I don’t repeat clothes because I’m a public figure. I spent $100,000 to pay producers, songwriters and engineers that worked on my album. That’s over N100 million. Not to mention music videos and promotion costs. That’s a lot.
“So, I go for a show, I would charge what would equate my investments. Even if I don’t make profit, I should a least be able to recover the cost of production. So, we are not overcharging. If you look at it from our own perspective, you will agree that we are not overcharging.”
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