Popular singer, Oluwatosin Ajibade, known as Mr Eazi, has dismissed claims of streaming farming in Nigeria, saying the country’s music industry thrives on genuine support from its vibrant audience.
Streaming farming refers to the use of technology to artificially inflate streaming numbers for songs. Over the years, there have been accusations that some Nigerian artistes engage in this practice. Artists such as Davido, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Shallipopi, and Seyi Vibez have been mentioned in such conversations, though no evidence has been publicly confirmed.
The issue resurfaced on social media when an X user, Benny7gg, tagged Apple Music, calling for an investigation into streams from Nigeria. The user wrote,“DEAR APPLE MUSIC, YOU REALLY NEED TO INVESTIGATE THE STREAMS COMING FROM NIGERIA. THERE IS A LOT OF STREAMS FARMING CURRENTLY GOING ON!”
Responding to the post, Mr Eazi replied simply, “Ah ah.” This led to a back-and-forth between the two. Benny7gg quoted Mr Eazi’s response, saying, “You sef shock with the way the farming don too much.”
Mr Eazi firmly denied the claims, responding, “There is nothing like streaming farming in Nigeria Please! No need for investigations. We are a vibrant music-consuming people, hence the numbers you see! #BuyNigeria #MNGA.”
Supporting Mr Eazi’s point, Nigeria has shown significant growth in music streaming. In the first half of 2024, Nigerian music garnered over 1 billion streams on Spotify, accounting for 1.37% of the global total of 72.9 billion streams.
This represents a 96.7% increase compared to 511.4 million streams during the same period in 2023. Additionally, Nigeria set a new record on June 27, 2024, with 8.6 million daily streams on Spotify, surpassing the previous high of 8 million just days earlier.
