By Bellanaija.com
When Michael walked into the BellaNaija
office, he looked like a man who knew his worth and the impact of his
work. We had to find out more. With the confidence he exuded, this was a
guy who had been there and done that and had the scars to show for it. Michael Ugwu, is the Chief Executive officer of iROKING.com,
the foremost provider of digital Nigerian music. iROKING.com is part of
the iROK group and is working with Nigerian artistes to get their music
to the world. An area that hasn’t previously been explored previously,
Michael and the iROKING team are tackling an interesting aspect of the
entertainment industry and we dare say that they’re doing a fantastic
job. In our chat with Michael, he tells us more about iROKING, the
intricacies of online music distribution as well as his love for Leyla!
We hope you enjoy this chat as much as we did.
Who is Michael Ugwu?
I was born in Manchester in the early 1980′s baby! I have two elder
sisters and three younger brothers (one from my mum). I was apparently
the boy my folks had been waiting for hence why I was given the Igbo
name Obiora. We moved to Nigeria for a few years around 1981/2. My
father was in the Federal House of Representatives at the time so we
were living in 1004 in Victoria Island (for the first time, I moved back
there again almost 28 years later). The military coup in 1983/84 forced
my father to send us back to the UK where I started Nursery/Primary
School. At 6 I was enrolled at Lockers Park Boarding School in
Hertfordshire. Fast forward Secondary School, College – my parents split
up when I was 16/17 just before I started University. Without a father
much on the scene I think at this point the hustler in me came out.
I studied and hustled all sorts – cars,
computer hardware & software, mobile phones trading like a true Igbo
boy! At 19/20 I bought my first BMW Coupe with my own hard earned cash!
Not the best investment but hey you’re young & foolish once right. I
finished Brunel University with a 2:1, explored a few business ideas
that went south before embarking on my Masters at University College
London. I gave in to the corporate life and joined the Royal Bank of
Scotland.
How did you get from that into music distribution?
It was not a straight forward transition. I returned to Nigeria via an
opportunity from a local investment bank that had come to the UK to
recruit Finance Service Professionals. I had been looking for the right
opportunity and decided to take it. I returned at a time when the stock
market was seemingly performing well, when in actuality it was
overheating! This was in the summer of 2008. Two years down the line I
had experienced the harsh realities of working in Nigeria. I had
suffered two job losses – I left the first investment bank due to their
financial challenges and inability to pay salaries at the time; I joined
a smaller financial advisory boutique briefly after that, which also
suffered a similar fate (I amicably resigned from both appointments). I
had started a catfish/snail farming business whilst working with the
second company which I decided to focus on. It was my most successful
Nigerian venture at that point (I had run a nightclub business, set up a
small scale yoghurt manufacturing plant, dabbled in the import/export
business – cars/mobile phones).
At some point, during my days as a
farmer, I was called on by my statesmen to run in the last State
Government elections (Enugu April 2011). It was an exhilarating yet
scary experience and a half! I lost my election (cue: massive rigging!).
I was literally looking for what the next move would be. Farming is
capital intensive and I had exhausted my finances. The business at that
point was stagnating. I temporarily toyed with the idea of moving back
to the UK…then I had a conversation with Jason Njoku about music. Since
returning to Nigeria, I had worked in finance, set up a nightclub
business, traded, built a farm, run in State Elections – it was the
right conversation at the right time.
In my mind, music was simply the next move, the next hustle – chips in – iROKING was born!
What is iROKING?
I could be here all day explaining so in a nutshell – we connect great
Nigerian music with passionate fans around the world. To expand, iROKING
does the following – Music Streaming and Downloads/Music Videos and
Audio/Paid and Free/Mobile and Web. We are iTunes’ and Amazon’s largest
content provider in the region. We are YouTube’s largest partner in
Africa averaging 20 million video views across our Youtube music
channels on a monthly basis. We get circa 1.05 million unique visitors a
month across our web (streaming) and mobile platforms (downloads).
Michael with Leyla
The majority of our mobile users are in
Nigeria. For our mobile users we provide high and low quality downloads
no bigger than 4mb easily downloaded onto any device via any network. We
are arguably the largest digital music service in Africa at the moment
with more than 500,000 registered users on our site since our official
launch in February 2012. People come to iROKING.com to find great music.
Artistes utilize iROKING.com to get their content as best distributed
as possible.
Can you describe what the music distribution in Nigeria was before the advent of iROKING?
Organizeddigital music distribution was in shambles. I mean it was non
existent. Many artistes had not fully utilized and exploited the power
of YouTube. Most artistes (not all) could not get their content on
iTunes/Amazon. Digital was something new and as yet not understood with
regards to the best way to exploit it. There was no one platform focused
on showcasing and distributing Nigerian music online in the way that we
have. We were not the first on the scene but we were the first to bring
this model together in the way that we have and as successfully as we
have
How does iROKING cater to music users who don’t have access to the internet?
We are web-based so we do not cater to users who are not online unfortunately
Can you describe the workings of iROKING? What makes it special?
I think one of our stand-out factors are our collaborations within the
music distribution space. We have successfully partnered with 2 of the
largest social networking platforms in Nigeria and Africa. We have
deployed
music.eskimi.com
with Eskimi (5.7 million users in Nigeria). We have also deployed
iroking.2go.imhttp://music.im/ with 2go (9 million registered users in
Nigeria). We have partnered with Tecno Mobile (25% mobile handset device
market share in Nigeria) as well as Arik. We have a number of
collaborations that will be announced in the not so distant future, all
game-changers. All of these collaborations help us get music distributed
as far and as wide as possible in an organised manner, tracking streams
and downloads.
We are still getting to grips with
revenue generation in Africa however we have successfully created a
revenue generation model for artists to drive sales/revenue in the
Diaspora with platforms such as iTunes and YouTube. We are not only in
the business of distributing music. We are actively disrupting the space
in order to ensure a better deal for artists with regards to generating
revenue in Africa.
What’s the IT Factor that you have brought into iROKING?
Energy and patience. When it’s time to move, I move, things happen. My
doctor tells me I have an extremely slow resting heart rate. It’s not
easy to rattle me. Things have not always gone my way since I became CEO
of iROKING. Cash has not always been there, mistakes have been made.
However. whenever I enter that tunnel and it’s a little dark, I’m
patient enough to move towards the light fast or slow but once I see
that light it’s all energy. I guess that why they call me Magic Mike.
The team is spread across 3 continents… how do you effectively and efficiently manage that?
Communication. We’ve got a really good team at iROKING. Regardless of
time zone, all hands are on deck. It’s important I understand what
different work streams are ongoing. iROKING and iROKOtv share a large
amount of human resource from Tech, Communications and Business
Development. It’s not always possible for me to be in London or New York
but whenever I am I like to catch up with everyone. Outside of that we
are a tech business – we are constantly on Skype or having Google
hangouts to see what needs to be done.
What’s the most challenging part of running iROKING?
We have a solid team, a solid evolving business model, a content-starved
audience and many more ingredients to push us to achieve our
objectives. Our own worst enemy and biggest challenge is ourselves.
Distraction, laziness, believing we have made it when we have not, and
all those other terrible self-focused attributes. In Nigeria I believe
it is called “wash”. Don’t believe the hype. Look at the data. According
to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) we have about 43
million Nigerians online using the internet. Music affects almost
everyone’s life and yet we only get about 1.05 million unique visitors a
month from around the globe.
What’s the most fulfilling part of your job?
Artistes who commend us for the work we put in. Seeing them come back
and entrust us with their content again and again is the most fulfilling
part of all this for me. Many thought we would fold up and die. We have
not and do not intend to go away so easily.
Can you share some of the intricacies of piracy and the issue of remuneration of artistes for their music?
I’m glad you said intricacies. I think locally digital piracy is more of
a mis-education than anything else. Physical distribution of music
content outside of Nigeria has always been limited in terms of a
marketer’s ability to distribute far outside his geographic proximity.
With high levels of demand and lack of
supply you find individuals uploading content to various platforms for
the benefit of their Diaspora brothers and sisters. In terms of piracy
for financial gain however, the Alaba model has not morphed into a
digital Alaba model and hopefully will not with platforms like iROKING
around. I’ve encountered some unscrupulous individuals trying to sell
content they have no rights for on iTunes and/or monetizing videos on
YouTube that do not belong to them. Hand in hand with my legal team we
target such individuals and if necessary file suits and fight. In order
for an artiste to generate revenue online, their content has to be
limited to platforms that sell (downloads) or otherwise monetize
(adverts/subscriptions) content.
The music industry is at a point where
artistes’ live shows are a key source of revenue. They are albeit less
concerned with album/single sales numbers. Regardless of this, it is
important on one hand we change the culture around releasing content
without any monetization strategy online as well as educate fans/artists
that with platforms like iROKING it is possible to consider revenue
generation. And if revenue generation is not your focus at least
properly manage your releases in order to garner as much data as
possible around them.
What is that thing that keeps you going? What keeps you doing what you do?
One of the driving factors for me to leave the UK was my ambition to do
something that made a real difference. I haven’t made that difference
yet, I’m trying to small small. I’ll keep going until I do make that
difference.
Where do you see iROKING in 5 years?
Let me not talk too much about numbers. iROKING will grow to become the
largest digital distributor of music content on the African continent
connecting great Nigerian music with Africa and the rest of the world.
Just For Fun
What’s your favourite food
Fish – grilled, boiled, steamed, fried. I love me some fish
You’d never be caught wearing?
A nyash pad
Two things you’d never leave home without
My direction to my destination
My reason for going there
And of course my phone & sunshades!
If you were an animal, what would it be?
A bird. Birds just seem so chilled and relaxed, swooping down to catch
their prey and up in the air again. Flying free in the sky seems really
cool and all but honestly I would love to be able to fly on top of bad
people and……………..bomb away.
Kim Kardashian or Beyonce?
One’s pregnant and the other just gave birth?? As in? Na Wa Oh you would
have added Amber Rose now? On the one hand neither needs a nyash pad
but on the other hand ain’t nobody got time for that. That being said I
wouldn’t mind Chidinma singing Kedike for me oh
Jeans or cotton pants kind of guy?
Definitely jeans. Cotton pants if I’m looking for cash.
Favorite Nigerian designer?
Any designer that sells their clothes on www.giddimint.com! Check it
out, we are revolutionizing the online urban fashion space. Shout outs
to Literati, Allen and Fifth, Head Honcho, Mr Garbe, Gorilla Monkey Head
and my Giddimint Team.
Currently playing on your iPod…
Unfortunately I do not own an iPod but I do put together some banging
mixes! So right now on my latest mix cd I’ve been jamming to some new
jams I’m super feeling SDC’s Feel Alright, it’s def my choon right now.
Kcee’s Limpopo is def on my playlist. Chyme HD, my boy Basky “Gentleman”
is on repeat. Burna, Ice Prince, It’s Dizzy. On the US side Kendrick
Lamar, The Weekend, ASAP Rocky, Fabolous, Weezy and of course The Boss
Ricky Rozay are all featured on my latest mix. Chippy, Wretch 32 and
Skepta def repping the Union Jack on this mix.
How do you unwind?
In my spare time I spend as much time as I can with my daughter Zikora.
We usually hang out, eat ice cream and play play play! If not with my
daughter I spend time with my Leyla – she’s my 600cc Honda CBR Powerbike
and seriously her official name is Leyla. Despite the crazy roads in
Lagos it is actually really really exhilarating to hit the road and ride
with my biker squad – safely might I add.
Chatting with Michael was an absolute delight and we look forward to doing more features with him in future.
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