The Interview Editors
From being a talent manager to an avid promoter, Chin Okeke, co-founder of Eclipse Live, the organiser of Gidi Culture Festival, spoke on the future of the relationship between technology and the music industry:
You once said in an interview last year that the Nigerian music industry is not yet there. Do you still hold the same view?
Not being there means we are not where we want to be. We are still moving. There is a lot of growth, we are not where we were last year, locally and internationally.
And that is just what I want to see, progressive and forward growth. By saying not there, we assume that if we are there, there is nowhere else to go.
We have a lack of infrastructure here so technology helps us to access to our customers at the same time helps connect with inclusive spirit for customers
What is your forecast on the relationship between technology and music industry in the next five years?
Technology helps solve a lot of problems. We have a lack of infrastructure here so technology helps us to access our customers at the same time also helps us to connect with inclusive spirit for customers.
So, I see technology playing a major role. For us, it has played a tremendous role in our business, not just promoting cashless transaction in ticketing, but it’s an area we are exploring, venturing into, we have a new company that focuses on technology and how it can help us to improve our business.
Do you think there will be a time where music event organisers and promoters can make money from ticketing alone?
It’s already happening
Can you share your last year’s experience?
Gidi Fest is just one of the things we do; we promoted concerts such as Mayorkun, Maleek Berry, Simi in 2017. Each of those concerts, we turned a profit, no matter how small without sponsorship.
You seem to work a lot with budding talents?
Yes, that’s deliberate. I’d rather be a part of growth as opposed…I want to grow with talents. I was a talent manager for seven years. I managed Lynxx, DJ Obi, Eku Edewor and others. So for me, it’s been part of that growth.
