Ayo Oriowo: Here is why Nigeria needs a charting system [Inside By Pulse]

‘What’s a success?’ may appear a easy assertion that ought to simply be answered by notion, nevertheless it’s an issue in Nigeria. Charting may not totally inform that story anymore, nevertheless it nonetheless informs a lot of our actions within the trendy world. It’s crucial that we monitor the use and consumption of songs in addition to award accolades as mandatory.

These numbers and consumption metrics assist artists make touring and branding choices. For a very long time, that appeared like a distant dream, however not anymore. Say whats up to Turntable Charts. Over the previous few months and thru a number of partnerships, Turntable Charts has been capable of inform the Nigerian story one chart at a time.

As of September 11, 2020, the chart publication platform has the next charts; radio airplay, TV airplay, Shazam, iTunes, High Nigerian songs on Triller and streaming charts. The corporate additionally does quite a few analytical breakdowns on Nigerian music to find out the consumption patterns of sure genres of music.

TurnTable Charts

When Ayo Oriowo, the Editor-In-Chief of the younger platform was in JSS3, his oldest sister had a boyfriend who launched him to consumption of albums by Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and so forth. Till 2016 when Nigerian music grew to become simply accessible to him, this closing 12 months Property Administration pupil of Obafemi Awolowo College was closely into international music.

Then on November eight, 2019, Peruzzi, Joeboy, Wurld & Sarz and YCee dropped tasks on the identical day. He thought to himself, “It will be good to doc the success of those albums via a correct charting system, analyse the numbers and truly see the precise listener behaviours. However then, we don’t have a charting system.”

Hilariously, Oriowo despatched an electronic mail to all of the streaming platforms hoping to get a reply. Nowadays, he laughs at his naivety, however he thinks it was price a attempt. When he didn’t get a reply, he did one thing even funnier.

Oriowo reached out to Simi Adegoke, a programmer, designer, Mechanical Engineering pupil at Obafemi Awolowo College and the second of the three Co-founders of the Turntable Charts to design a know-how that would monitor music consumption throughout board.

“I simply needed to do one thing, bro [laughs]. After I was in Abuja, I additionally approached Premium Instances with the concept, however they turned it down,” Oriowo says.

Then in January 2020, Oriowo checked out how Nigerian artists stored boasting about Apple Music Chart positions as an authority on Nigerian music consumption when that chart barely tells 10% of the Nigerian story. As of December 2019, studies claimed that Apple Music solely had about 90,000 customers in Nigeria. For context, the nation has about 200 million residents.

Whereas Oriowo thinks that such notion isn’t any fault of Apple Music’s because it solely seeks to trace consumption by itself platform by making a chart, he felt Nigeria wanted one thing higher.

“I feel it additionally made me assume that Nigerians had been craving for a correct charting system – particularly since ‘Afrobeats to the world’ has gathered tempo,” he says. “Our artists have charted in international nations and so they need that feeling once more. Some individuals who haven’t charted in international nations additionally need that feeling. I feel that’s why we defer to Apple Music a lot.”

Turntable Charts, then with no web site of its personal partnered with CriticsCo, an internet site to publish charts.

He says, “We had been combining chart positions on Boomplay, Apple Music, Audiomack, YouTube Music [a little later], YouTube and Deezer. Wanting again, it’s not knowledge that I’m pleased with however I felt one thing needed to be accomplished [laughs].”

When Oriowo felt just like the chart was not getting traction, Turntable Charts – nonetheless with no web site – briefly partnered with 49thStreet to assist Turntable get some traction.

However wanting again, Oriowo jokes, “I don’t know why we even did that [laughs]. What had been we publicizing?” He buttresses, “However I suppose it was about making individuals know that charting is greater than Apple Music.”

Impressed by Billboard Charts

Asides the concept of making a charting system, Oriowo loves the concept of America’s flagship charts, the Billboard Charts in addition to understanding the internal workings of music knowledge.

He says, “The Billboard Charts by no means ends. It additionally helps individuals perceive who’s what, when, the place and the way. Beyonce can’t come tomorrow and say she was the largest artist of 2019.

“If there was no chart and Beyonce was at all times huge, she would assume that she was the largest. However because of the existence of Billboard, she will’t say that. That’s one downside we have now in Nigeria – assumption. It’s additionally a key driver for Turntable Charts, we need to create info. Charting additionally helps the business to trace patterns and viable merchandise/genres.

“Lots of report labels are placing effort into TikTok now as a result of a public database like Billboard makes you perceive that you may promote Diamond in months in case your music blows up on the platform.”

Aims of TurnTable Charts

Like Billboard Charts, Turntable Charts is created with an analogous targets;

1. Monitoring what’s common
2. Figuring out listener/shopper behaviour
3. Documentation
4. Content material creation

Nonetheless, Turntable Charts additionally desires to change into a bedrock for;

1. Certification – it hopes to roll that out very quickly
2. Knowledge analytics on Nigerian music 

Oriowo says, “I have a look at how Nigerian artists have fun their debut on World Music Album Charts. I imply, it’s a measure of success however within the grand scheme of issues, it’s a restricted measure for achievement. Tiwa Savage and Motown solely must promote a pair lots of of Celia to be on that chart.

“That’s not precisely a mirrored image on Nigeria. Our music is so numerous and our palettes proceed to widen – we even have 200 million residents. There’s quite a bit happening in Nigerian sub-mainstream markets that mainstream markets don’t take note of. With a chart like ours, we are able to really see consumption patterns.

“When you have a look at the numbers of Nigerian gospel artists like Mercy Chinwo and Sinach, solely like 5 Nigerian pop artists may even dream of matching them. With out charts, we will be unable to trace the immersion of a few of these artists. With a qualitative charting system, labels can even make enough funding choices based mostly on profitable genres and obtainable markets.

“An artist like Hamisu Breaker is doing wild numbers on YouTube, however most individuals within the South knew about him until this 12 months. These charts may additionally permit international buyers to know what to throw cash at in Nigeria.”

Oriowo then goes on to say that the UK Afrobeats chart won’t ever actually inform the Nigerian story as a result of solely the highest Nigerian acts will ever actually function on that chart. Except for that, he additionally notes that even the highest Nigerian acts will discover it arduous to topple Afro-swing acts like J Hus or NSG as a result of the chart relies on a international market.

He feels solely a Nigerian chart will help foreigners know what is definitely profitable in Nigeria. “A music like Jamopyper’s new music won’t ever make it to the UK Afrobeats charts,” Oriowo notes.

How Turntable determines charts?

Proper now, Turntable Charts has the next charts;

1. Streaming charts, which mixes knowledge from streaming platforms
2. Digital songs gross sales charts
3. Radio airplay charts
4. Visible airplay charts
5. Triller Charts: Hottest Nigerian songs on Triller
6. Shazam charts 
7. Apple Music

The corporate analyses music consumption from Fridays to Thursdays after which publishes charts from Sundays to Tuesdays.

Challenges

Nowadays, Turntable Charts remains to be making an attempt to fine-tune sure elements like its streaming charts. It feels a presumably imminent partnership will remedy that. Though a giant downside with Nigeria is the monetization of charting, Turntable has main plans to keep away from that. It additionally has some superb enlargement plans for 2021.

Proper now, it’s within the technique of elevating its first spherical of funds.

Ayo Oriowo on shopper behaviour and the Nigerian soundscape

Nowadays, his curiosity in Nigerian music is as formless as the present Nigerian soundscape. Oriowo sees the widening variation in listener palettes within the Nigerian soundscape in addition to the offshoot of a number of media platforms documenting this tradition as an indication of early maturation of the Nigerian leisure sector.

Nonetheless Oriowo desires the Nigerian ecosystem to be cautious of regurgitating profitable artist-models. He agrees with this author’s question that there’s a ‘Rema template’ that everyone else is making an attempt to recreate within the Nigerian music business.

ALSO READ: Here is why Nigerian music is becoming more about strategy than just good music [Pulse Comment]

He says, “I really assume that choosing a flexible artist is extra concerning the calls for of the present soundscape, however I additionally really feel like followers don’t know what they need till anyone offers them. Followers are just like the abdomen – when they’re crammed up on one thing, they cease consuming it. I would really like extra expertise variety within the Nigerian music business, however that’s simply me [laughs].

“Since crossing over is our present order of the day, we’d like to ensure we provide a variety of issues and never sound like one another…”

Oriowo then goes additional to say that whereas numbers are reflective of success, that success is also momentary. He feels just like the streaming makes it inconceivable for main acts to have horrible numbers, particularly of their first week of launch.

Lastly, he notes that the rise of Omah Lay has bolstered the facility of ‘phrase of mouth’ evangelism even with a large advertising and marketing funds.