Music executive Don Jazzy has reflected on the rapid rise of Afrobeats, describing it as a young genre that is still developing on the global stage. He said artists, producers and label owners are all learning every day as the sound, business models and audience expectations continue to evolve.
Sharing his thoughts on X, Don Jazzy explained that the industry is in a continuous learning phase, with stakeholders adjusting to new realities and innovations. He stressed that the pace of change in Afrobeats requires openness to new ideas and a willingness to adapt.
To illustrate the growth, he pointed to the soaring cost of music video production over a short period. According to him, a budget of 20 million naira for an Afrobeats video would have seemed outrageous about six years ago, but some artistes now spend over 100,000 dollars on visuals.
Don Jazzy said this jump in spending shows how far Afrobeats has come in terms of ambition, quality and global standards. He noted that higher budgets often reflect bigger concepts, international targets and the need to compete with top videos from other major music markets.
He also spoke about the importance of learning from people who have achieved major milestones in their fields. He stated that if Burna Boy shares what it takes to successfully stage multiple international stadium shows, he would gladly take notes, since he has not yet done that himself.
In the same way, he said if Aliko Dangote explains what it costs to build a refinery in Lagos, he would be eager to learn from that experience. Don Jazzy used these examples to emphasise that serious people listen when experts speak about what they know best.
Applying the same principle to his own work, Don Jazzy maintained that he has valuable knowledge about running a successful record label in Nigeria. He urged people to pay attention when industry veterans share practical lessons, because only a few have managed labels that have thrived over time.
He encouraged fans and upcoming professionals to go beyond short blog clips and seek full context when consuming educational content. According to him, detailed conversations and long-form videos offer deeper insights that can help people understand how the music business truly works.
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