SOLIDSTARS N22M ALBUM FAULT BY ALABA MARKETERS.

 Words:Adedosu 'kenzy' Adekunle

Solidstar will release his second album ‘Grace and Glory‘ this week.

In a statement to Journalists, the Pop artiste’s label Achievas Music announced they have already sold the distribution rights for the album for N22m. A few sources however say the deal is not achievable.

Achievas Music has been Solidstar’s label since he released his debut album ‘One in a Million‘. The company says the deal with Obaino Music means the popular Alaba marketers will have the sole rights to market and distribute the album throughout the nation.

The startling amount has raised questions, with many asking how possible the deal is, at a time when most marketers no longer give upfront payment.

‘It’s not possible that Solid Star sold his album for that amount. Marketers don’t pay upfront if you’re not an A-lister‘, a trader who has worked with the likes of Okeysonic Entertainment tells journalists.

‘Alaba marketers don’t buy albums anymore except you are Tiwa, Wizkid, or Burna Boy who have high demand for an album‘, Ademola ‘Bishop’ Adeyeni, a media practitioner who has worked with a few marketers as well as managed the likes of Terry tha Rapman, Gino, Sossickk and Morell says.

Recently it was reported that Burna Boy‘s label, Aristokrat Records, received N10m from Alaba marketers, UBA Pacific for his newly released album ‘L.I.F.E‘.

Obaino Music weren’t very helpful when we contacted them. A rep for the Alaba-based company declined speaking with KREST. ‘I cannot say anything online, thank you‘ he told our correspondent.

2009/2010 seems to have marked the end of upfront payments for Nigerian albums. Popular marketer T Joe, who once paid up to N20m for a Psquare album (‘Game Over‘ in 2008) was so successful that he launched his T Joe Records label, releasing 2shotz’ ’Music Business‘ also in the same year.

But when Bigiano‘s N1.5m ‘Shayo Master‘ and Modenine‘s N800k ’Paradigm Shift‘ album deals flunked in 2009, things changed. ‘M.I didn’t get a penny for an upfront for ‘Talk about it’ but sold the most then‘, a marketer close to  T Joe says.‘It would do everyone some good if Solidstar and his label made available the records showing this N22m deal‘.