Singer Bella Shmurda has shed light on why Nigerian artistes demand high performance fees, saying the charges reflect the enormous expenses that come with making music.
Speaking in a recent interview with Naija FM Lagos, the “Cash App” crooner explained that artistes spend heavily on production, promotion, and maintaining their public image, which justifies their performance rates.
According to Bella Shmurda, musicians bear the cost of paying producers, songwriters, engineers, and other behind-the-scenes contributors from their performance earnings.
“Speaking from the perspective of an artiste, making music is expensive,” Bella Shmurda said.
“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 ₦100 million. Not to mention music videos and promotion costs. That’s a lot.”
He added that the high cost of maintaining a brand means artistes have to charge performance fees that at least allow them to recover their investment.
“So, when I go for a show, I charge what equates to my investments. Even if I don’t make a profit, I should at least recover the cost of production,” bella Shmurda explained.
“We are not overcharging. If you look at it from our own perspective, you’ll agree we’re not overcharging.”
