PRICING-OMOTOLA,,RUGGEDMAN,OTHERS FOLLOW 2FACE LEAD

It’s still early to tell whether 2face’s radical decision to issue his new CD ‘The Unstoppable Int’L Edition’ at N1000 recommended retail price is working or not.
But while the critics are waiting and watching, eager to see if 2face – who’s regarded as the leader of this present generation of artistes- will score another first, or burn his fingers, the musician’s colleauges are giving him thumbs up and borrowing a leaf from his bold step.
Encouraged by his mangement company Now Muzik (led by Efe Omorogbe and Tony ‘Don T’ Anifite), Idibia reissued his Unstoppable album last May, with a pricing that shocked many. For nearly a decade, CDs in Nigeria have been sold at about N45 wholesale price, and anything from N100 to N150 on retail. The CDs are produced cheaply, and packaged in poor quality carton jackets. All over the world, CDs are presented in Jewel casings, with multi-page sleeves containing album notes, lyrics and credits. And, Idibia, who’s eyeing an international break, and hoping to move his career to the next level, was determined to dare the marketers; dare the pirates, the conservatives - dare all market forces.
So, when ‘The Unstoppable Int’l Edition’ was released on May 21, it came in Jewel boxes, with a mini booklet and multimedia options. The CDs were made in South Africa, and sold for a minimum of N1000.
To some, Idibia had shot himself in the foot – especially seeing that his last album was not exactly a commercial success. But to others, especially those who can’t wait for the music system in Nigeria to be overhauled, the move by Mr Idibia and his team, is timely, daring, and worthy of emulation.
Omorogbe, who has been at the forefront of recent changes in Nigeria’s copyright system and collective rights administration, says apart from settling the issue of inappropriate pricing once-and-for-all, the move will also curb piracy and restore value to the quality of talent contained in individual CDs.
Not surprisingly, Idibia’s colleauges are praising him already, and promising to jack up their CD prices to a thousand bucks. Rapper Ruggedman, who drops his pre-retirement album in a few weeks, told his friends last week he’s following Idibia’s lead. And he’s not the only one. Industry sources have told us reliably, that Omotola, Sunny Neji and TWO , who all have albums pencilled for next quarter, have instructed their managers to follow the new pricing system.
‘It’s just a matter of time. More people will follow, especially with the kind of success 2face’s album is recording’ Anifite tells us in a brief chat.

And, with Yes Records (who’s distributing ‘The Unstoppable Int’l Edition) and Soforte Entertainment solidifying and expanding their national distribution networks, it wont be long before piracy-haven Alaba -which, expectedly, is frowning at the new possible pricing regime – becomes history (if the guys there don’t quickly align, that is).