BIMBO ESHO SAYS: THRILLERBANDZ WILL REVIVE THE MUSIC INDUSTR
Bimbo Esho is the CEO of Evergreen Music Company Ltd. She Is behind the vision of the Thrillerbandz. She spoke to BEATS on the project in this interview:
Question: Congratulations on the success of the ThrillerBandz Press conference. What is this all about?
Answer: The ThrillerbandZ Music Challenge is an event put together by Evergreen Musical Company Ltd in collaboration with National Arts Theatre with the intent to revive live bands, with meaningful compositions, stage appeal and to ginger our local musicians to perform beyond the shores of Nigeria in other to take our musical heritage and entertainment to the next level as enduring legacy for global relish.
Question: Apart from the National Arts Theater, which other institutional support do you have?
Answer: For now, we don’t have any but the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has pledged his support through the Special Adviser on Tourism Art and Culture Mr Solomon Bonu
Question: The ThrillerBandz concept needs corporate sponsorship. How can you attract sponsors for a talent show?
Answer: Yes it does. We have sent out letters for corporate Sponsorship hopefully they will respond if they find it in line with their Corporate Social Responsibility.
Question: The economy is not working full scale. What then can drive the music sector which is not an essential service?
Answer: The music sector is an essential service. Life without music is a mistake. I think basically the entertainment industry needs a proper packaging and it is a viable sector that can have positive effect on our GDP if maximum attention is given to it.
Question: Let’s talk about the concert. The December 17/18 event is quite ambitious. How do you hope to manage it?
Answer: I personally, have been organizing events for the past over 20 years now. The ThrillerbandZ event has a concept around it and the musicians coming for the contest are not amateur, they are artiste who just need a platform to thrive and get heard. The event is going to start on Friday 17th and run through Saturday 18th, with over 50 live bands and each musician will be performing their own original songs for the delight of the audience. The National Theatre management has promised maximum security.
Question: Are you considering bringing in foreign artistes?
Answer: This is the first of it’s kind and also the first edition, no doubt some of Nigerian musicians who reside in the diaspora have shown interest and also, few foreign indigenous musicians have been suggested, including those from neighboring African countries, but because of the short time we have to put this first edition together. We are Majorly focusing only on home-based musicians.
Question: The record companies are no longer around. How can the music industry thrive without a solid group of record companies?
Answer: This is a brilliant question. Record labels no doubt, are key in the development of the Nigerian music industry but then musicians have, in recent times, created other avenues to reach their target audience themselves, particularly with the use of digital marketing; though this doesn’t stop the need for record labels and artiste managers, but it has relieved it greatly.
Question: Song writers, producers, arrarrangers, publicists, managers, Roadies, etc. are the middle men and women of the industry. Now, we don’t have them. How can we get these folks back to move the business forward?
Answer: The just concluded Press Conference with the theme: Restructuring the Nigerian Entertainment Industry was put together in a bid to have a round table discussion with many of the key players in the industry. Letters were sent out to the Record owners associations, music associations, etc. and they honoured the invite. It is in a bid to rebrand and restructure the industry. Our foundation, Evergreen Music Heritage Foundation also has a lot of workshops lined up in the New Year for activities that will help reposition the industry i.e. Song writing, use of musical instruments, signing of copyright agreement, etc.
Question: Night life, with its components of night clubs, parties, events, etc., make the industry tick. How can we revive night life, in view of the security situation of the country?
Answer: Night life in Lagos State is still thriving business we just need to all get involved in the security of our country as responsive citizens. We may not be able to leave it all for the government we need to report activities that we all find as been a threat to our wellbeing, in as much as it is the right and duty of any government to protect it’s citizen.
Question: What other message do you have for Nigerian music fans?
Answer: The message I have is that with the Thrillerbandz Music Concerts Nigerians should expect revival of live Band activities, particularly in Lagos State and they should expect good lyrical compositions that have content and great stage craft, all things that make up the real African Music.
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