Davido during his record label signing with Sony Music (Image courtesy of twenty2omedia.com)

The past few years have seen growing interest in African Music, within and beyond the continent’s boarders, thanks to a gradual evolution that has redefined the industry.Unlike before, African artists who were largely independent are now being sought by regional and international record companies as a key strategic step to widen their (that is, the record company’s) influence in the music world.

Among others such artists include, Tanzania’s Nakaaya Sumari, Congolese Natalie Makoma, Nigeria’s Davido and the recent Ali Kiba signing with global record deal company Sony Music Entertainment. While for most artists this may be considered as amongst the greatest milestones one would achieve in their music careers, it might be about time African artists re- evaluate major label record deals offered to them and the impact of the latter on their careers.(…