Elder Ajayi and a colleague at an event
With the sales and promotion of Gospel music records, Elder Joel Ajayi has come a long way. He is the Chairman/CEO of Gospel Choral Records Ltd. He led in the sale and promotion of gospel music works in the 80s. PTL News searched him out recently when he was booked for an interview. He was met at his Dopemu office where he is coping with the current trends in the gospel music market. He speaks with PTL News. He took time to speak on his interest in promoting gospel music, the trends in the gospel music market, and how gospel music could be handled in a challenging environment like Nigeria.
Foray into Gospel Music Market
He began by sharing what inspired him to go into gospel music sales and promotion which developed from his love for gospel music.
He said, “My love for gospel music made me think of going into the business and my favourites then were Rev. S. O. Akinpelu, Pastor Akinlade, Rev. Bisi Adeoye King, ECWA Choir, Good Women Choir, and Rev. Shola Rotimi. As a person who feared controversies, I avoided running after any of the old artistes and I had to look for new artistes of my own and some of them were Lawrence Olaiya, and Anslem that were new and were looking for promoters.
Along the line Evangelist Niyi Adedokun was having issues with his promoter then, that was Igbalaiye Records and he was introduced by one of his studio Engineers and he brought his works to me which we did because he had disengaged with his former company. That was part of the controversies I wanted to avoid. So there was no controversy about that.
“Later I had some other artistes like Evang. Ojo Ade who was introduced to me by one of the engineers at Decca at Abule Oja, Yaba, later I had Demos Deniran, of Temi taya fame, then Dr. Bola Are and other artistes and our profile was coming up because of these known artistes.
The company profile was rising because of the known artistes. Later Rev. Sola Rotimi left Ibukun Orisun Iye Records to join us. Some other small artistes joined us later, and we were moving on.”
Business Lessons and Challenges
On what have been some lessons to learn and challenges to embrace in doing what he liked. This he also shared with PTL News.
“Like any other business, there are lessons to learn. But we have to mind our relationship which first were with the artistes, and secondly our workers working for us in business.
“Some of the challenges we had were the need for finance to meet up with our artistes and customers’ needs for credits and getting attention from the producers, we also need to pay the factories to give us credit, since we are at the centre of the artistes and the factories that produce our works, like jackets.
“There were some artistes, even though they were gospel artistes, they used to compare themselves with the likes of Michael Jackson, they wanted to have the same benefits he was enjoying, they wanted to have things like advanced royalties, most especially the young artistes whose focus was how to make the money rather than spreading the gospel.
“Those who were established artistes had different demands. What they wanted was for their works to spread the more, they wanted to project their good news of the gospel, and these we tried to do more. But the credit needed by our dealers and the demand to pay as at when due were kind of the stumbling blocks we had, coupled with unfaithful and dishonest staff, like any other organisation. It became a challenge when the attack was much. For the companies, the printers and the factories that were working for us, not only for us could not give us all our needs, they needed to contend with the demands of other companies like us. They did their best to satisfy us but their best was not good enough. But all in all we managed to push through.
Gospel Music then and now
There is difference between the gospel music then and now. Then we were the one pushing gospel music to the populace as an avenue of sending message to them, propagating the gospel, not entirely for business but the business side of it was not overlooked.
Gospel Music today is not entirely for the propagation of the gospel but more of prayers, it is more of praises. It is not out of place as the bible says the whole of the universe is filled with His praises. So I don’t see it outrageous to find out that praises and prayers than propagating the gospel.
Elder Ajayi and others at a Music propmotion Seminar
Commercial side then and now
For the fact of modernity and modernisation of the whole world system, the demand today is more but not of the physical form, but on the internet, YouTube Facebook, Twitter, ITune, and other social media platforms. It is a challenge because if we don’t try to catch up with the modern system, we will be left behind. We have also made some efforts. We have some presence on YouTube, I Tunes and other platforms like that either directly or indirectly through some agents.
Profitability
If our works on their platform generate enough traffic it will generate more profits than physical production. Once we upload we encourage our customers to watch, stream or download it online. All our old works are online. There has been no new works since the last one year. If there is any new ones they will still join them. We have not produced any artiste in the last one year.
Survival of Gospel Records
Let artistes do more of their work, let their content meet people’s needs in terms of prayer, praises and propagating the gospel in their delivery. Music promoters should be very careful on taking new artistes. If they are not experienced enough they will get their fingers burnt.
Regrets?
In life there are ups and downs and as we grow old we move from one stage to another. We should expect challenges, confrontations, and uphill tasks in any environment which we find ourselves and in our walk with God. It takes faith and hard work to survive in this environment and in the challenges of life, and in businesses as we move on. To sit down and groan over losses is unchristian. It’s like a song I used to sing in Yoruba saying there may be darkness on our way, there will be light of joy, if you base your life on that song nothing will change you, nothing will deter you, nothing will move you. There is hope of getting over to the next level.
Next move
We are making our next moves, and we are getting there. For now we are not thinking of any ventures, there can always be add-ons to survival. New knowledge has always been there, all you need is to tap into the area you think you want to go, there are new opportunities, it is left for individual company to move from one area to the other.
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