Nigerian comedian and filmmaker Ayo Makun, popularly known as AY Comedian, has revealed that some Nigerian artists now demand up to ₦200 million to perform at his AY Live comedy show.

AY made the revelation while discussing the rising cost of booking musicians for the annual comedy show.

He said artists who previously performed at AY Live through friendship and mutual support now command significantly higher fees.

“Today, the Nigerian musicians charge ₦200 million, ₦120 million, ₦80 million to appear on my show,” AY said.

He also explained that the growth of the Nigerian music industry has changed the relationship between musicians and comedy shows, with artistes now earning from streaming, international endorsements and other opportunities paid in foreign currencies.

“The industry has changed that today the Nigerian musicians are global stars, they earn from streaming, international endorsements, several other opportunities that come in foreign currencies. So they no longer depend on comedy shows for visibility,” he said.

AY said the high performance fees have become difficult to accommodate alongside the other costs involved in staging a comedy show, including venue, production, sound, security, publicity, comedians and staff.

He also urged Nigerians to stop measuring the value of a comedy show by the number of musicians on its bill.

“Maybe it is time we stopped measuring the value of a comedy show by the number of musicians on the bill. Let comedy be enough,” he said.

AY noted that international comedians such as Chris Rock and Kevin Hart have built shows around comedy without depending on music artists to attract audiences.