Stand-up comedian and actor Ayo Makun, popularly called AY, has spoken about the rising fees required to book Nigerian artistes for comedy shows, saying some leading musicians now charge as much as N200 million to perform at a comedy concert.
AY made the disclosure in an Instagram post while reflecting on how his show has evolved, noting that even emerging artistes who have yet to achieve mainstream popularity can now request fees of up to N80 million.
The comedian recalled that prominent musicians including Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage and Olamide have previously performed at AY Live.
“For many years, since the beginning of AY Live, Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, and Olamide have all performed at AY Live,” AY said.
He explained that artistes’ appearances during the early years were often facilitated by friendship and mutual support, with performers accepting modest payments mainly to cover their logistics.
“In those days, many appearances were made possible through friendship. An artiste would accept any reasonable amount to cover their logistics, but today, the Nigerian musicians charge N200 million, N120 million, N80 million to appear on my show,” he added.
AY linked the significant rise in performance fees to the international expansion of Nigeria’s music industry.
“The industry has changed so that today the Nigerian musicians are global stars; they earn from streaming, international endorsements, and several other opportunities that come in foreign currencies. So they no longer depend on comedy shows for visibility,” he explained.
He further said that the steep charges now extend beyond established music stars.
“Even the upcoming artists wey never blow dey ask for N80 million,” he said.
AY added that personal connections have increasingly become important when booking major artistes for comedy shows, as the fees can be difficult to afford without such relationships.
“The reality is that if you don’t have a strong personal relationship with any of these artists, bringing them to a comedy show can really be expensive,” he added.