Every year, we notice more and more artists delay their music releases till later in the year. In retrospect, we would notice how the delayed-till-summer releases have progressively moved to after summer, and the seasons make all the difference.
Songs used to be delayed until summer time, and for several reasons. The first of such reasons was to build anticipation in the minds of the listeners. And then, to make songs that’ll be anthems for all the summer activities as school would be on breaks, people would have work leaves for holidays in vacation destinations etc.
However, with the economic and social realities in regions like in Nigeria, we have watched this frenzy move to post-summer, as though in preparation for the bigger holiday that December is. December houses end-of-year activities as well as Christmas, and so must people are assumed to be freer and more open to digesting music. This used to be a cutting-edge plan; practiced by only the few who were able to recognize this on time, and who would go on to own the biggest hit songs that would dominate December parties and gatherings.
However, more artists know this now. More people know that to own December, major releases have to be delayed till late in the year. Essentially, the fourth quarter of the year. Also, in regions like Lagos where ‘Detty December’ has become a moment anticipated in culture, it used to sound like a wise business decision to stall releases till then. But not anymore.
Reason? Simple. Everyone seems to now be using the same strategy. Q4 in afrobeats culture has become a music-logged season, packed with extremely saturated “new music fridays”. So saturated that the listeners are overfed and can’t seem to take in all the music at once like they would have when only a few reserved their release for the December flu.
As at time of writing, this week’s new music Friday has new music from Shallipopi, Gunna, Tems, Dave, Tim Lyre, Ajebutter22, Boj, Wizkid, Davido, Mavo, CKay, Oladapo, Juls, Tay Iwar, The Cavemen, oSHAMO, Prettyboy D-o, AYLØ, Luwa and more.
It might have been such an impressive tool in the past, but this strategy might have lost its sauce due to volume. It’s now more overwhelming than disruptive. It’s counter productive as instead of give people the chance to bask in new releases, it’s leaving them with too many choices and a chance for the law of diminishing marginal utility to set in.
Itty can be caught studying African pop culture, writing about it or hosting a relationship podcast. When he's not doing any of these, then he's definitely at a bar, getting mocktail.
