Ninel Lara Musson: 'A big part of what we do is creating opportunities for our artists'
Q&A with the music entrepreneur on the African creative industry, the attention on African music, and the importance of turning your vision into reality.
Ninel Lara Musson is the Co-Founder and COO of The VTH Season, an impactful Creative Entertainment Marketing Agency with an enviable roster of Africa’s most well-known Music Talent including Ami Faku, AKA, Manu WorldStar, Benny Afroe, Courtnaé Paul, Lungisa Xhamela, Pro Monate, Stepdaddy, Eternal Africa and others. VTH Season has received recognition from multiple award committees such as the South African Music Awards (SAMAs), Metro FM Awards, MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA’s) as well as international nods from the likes of the Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards and MTV Europe Music.
What fundamental belief system inspired the creation of The VTH Season?
It’s the belief that African music needs to have the best ecosystem and best structure around it to thrive. We fulfil this by placing a high value on the music and the artist. When you look at other marketing companies of products, you immediately realise there are several moving parts. These include channel marketing, PR, media, brand strategy, the right team, amongst other things.
We were confident a similar approach can be applied to the creative industry in South Africa by following international standards. However, at the time of our launch, putting structure to music in South Africa was not commonplace. Clients wanted to book for shows directly with the artist, and didn’t want to take into account certain requirements. Making our vision a reality have now created a runway for anyone to get into this business and do it successfully in South Africa.
What’s something you do every day that is non-negotiable for you?
I start the day with at least a cup or two of coffee every morning! Every day, I am constantly thinking about the growth of the business and the business of the business.
One of the things we try to ask ourselves, as a team, every single day is, ‘What did we do today to drive demand for our artists?’ Because a big part of what we do is creating opportunities for our artists.
What are the formative ingredients in your childhood that came to create your perspective?
I grew up with parents who were active citizens and were very involved in our community. This exposure positioned me to be concerned about what is happening in the world around us, and just not within our family. In addition, my parents allowed us lots of latitude to try things when growing up, such as piano and guitar lessons, and even attending concerts. I recall being in high school and my mother taking me to see a Whitney Houston live concert.
These experiences also exposed me to different music and languages very early on and helped me see the world as big. Today when I think of our business, I don’t think about doing business in Johannesburg; I think of doing business on a continental scale.
What do you consider to be one of the greatest challenges for developing a business on the African continent?
When you are building on the African continent, you’re building the business at the same time as you are building the infrastructure. Which means the work you do is equally as important as the challenge. When we started a management agency in the 2010s, we were still justifying the value that we bring. However, in more developed ecosystems, our offering would have been celebrated immediately. The good news is the space has matured. It is the ideal time for us to grow.
Building a company from scratch takes grit. What drives you on?
It takes grit, tenacity, and motivating yourself every single day to bring your determination back into focus. I do believe I have some built in tenacity, which I can apply to anything. However, I choose to really leverage it in my entrepreneurial journey.
In addition, the beauty of my work is that I get to see change happen right in front of me. I get to see the dreams of our talents come true. When we start working with an artist, we should be able to see positive changes in work and recognition within 6 months. Within two years, it becomes impossible to walk down the street with the artist. Fans rush to take pictures.
There are a tremendous number of opportunities on the African continent. How do you stay focused on your journey?
If anything, the number of opportunities on the continent is what keeps me going. Because I realise how much more there is to get every single day. With the attention on African music right now and the successes of artists breaking into the UK and US markets, it makes me want to move even faster and take on even more.
If you could do it all again, what would you have done differently?
I’m happy with the journey so far. I don’t think there was perfection. We made a few mistakes and did not have the quickest and most straightforward path. However, the culmination of all these experiences has brought us to this point, and that means the world to our future success.
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Jeph Acheampong leads Blossom Academy; an edtech company that provides world-class data courses and transforms careers.
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