A Brief History of TV and TV Music Practice in Nigeria

ABSTRACT While attempts have recently been made to theorise film and film music practice in Nigeria, its televisual counterpart is characterised by a dearth of musicological inquiry. As an original and preliminary contribution, this article interrogates and explains how television and TV music practice have been approached in Nigeria from 1959 to date. In light of this survey, two distinct periods have emerged: the protectionist (1959–1989) and the open (beyond 1990) eras. Specifically, this article analyses TV music practice based on events, situations, industry behaviour, and factors that aided, impeded, or determined its development in Nigeria. Practitioners’ oral accounts, textual and processual analyses, and relevant musical transcriptions are employed to demonstrate how the Nigerian TV music tradition evolved over five decades.