Ayo Makun, popularly known as AY Comedian, says the era of stacking chart-topping musicians on a comedy bill is over for him. In a recent Instagram video, the AY Live promoter drew a hard line between laughter and a concert, and asked ticket buyers to stop treating his show like a free festival.
He opened by ruling out a feud.
“Let me make this clear first, this video wasn’t made to call out or criticize Nigerian musi industry. It’s simply to help our audience understand what it takes to bring major music artists to comedy shows.”
The problem, he said, is expectation. People buy comedy tickets and still wait for several top singers to walk out. For years he delivered that package. Friendship made it possible. Money has now broken the deal.
“In those days, many appearances were made based on friendship, mutual support, and the understanding that we were all growing together. Artistes would accept any reasonable amount that’ll cover their logistics and find a way to genuinely support you based on your relationships.”
That economy is gone.
“But the industry has changed now and they’re now global stars who earn from streaming, international endorsements, and several other opportunities that come in foreign currencies. They no longer depend on comedy shows for visibility.”
Then he put figures on the table.
“The reality is that if you don’t have a strong personal relationship with these artistes, bringing them to a comedy shows can be extremely expensive. You could approach an artist today and they’ll be asking for 100 million. Another was asking for 120 million. The one who hasn’t blown completely was asking for 80 million.”
One fee, he said, can swallow venue, sound, production, security, publicity, comedians and staff.
“Sometimes, a single artist’s fee can cover the entire cost of production and all the comedian’s costs.”
His caption was even blunter.
“Dear Nigerians, if you buy a ticket to a comedy show, the primary promise is laughter. In the same way, nobody attends a music concert and demands that comedians must perform.”
He said he has anchored countless artist concerts for free and still paid “reasonable figures” when singers came to AY Live. Musicians, he added, should charge what the market will bear. Comedy promoters should be allowed to survive too.
“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.”
AY Live once sold that hybrid dream. Over the years, names such as Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Olamide, 9ice and Portable have appeared on the bill. AY’s argument is that those nights were built on a smaller industry, not on today’s dollar-priced stardom. He thanked the acts who still treat a comedy date as collaboration. For everyone else, he offered a calendar.
“If you want to come out to laugh, dedicate yourself to it. If you want music, wait for Detty December when the artistes come home to perform once a year. What we do is comedy, not music.”
Fans split on sight. Some said comedy should have been enough all along and told promoters to platform upcoming singers instead of chasing A-list invoices. Others turned the heat back on ticket prices, arguing that multimillion-naira seats, not missing guest stars, are why “comedy is no longer enough.” A few simply told him to raise brand sponsorships or drop the musicians.