In the last few years, the decline of record companies has become a recurring theme. The arrival of social media and online streaming platforms has reduced the monopoly of record companies, but they're by no means obsolete. Record companies, also called record labels, are still very powerful and influential in today's Nigeria.

When social media took over, the old record labels like Kennis Music struggled to adjust. As a result, many top artists left their labels with contract-related conflicts as a common cause. As these established artists left their labels, they began to form labels of their own. These new labels, alongside some older ones who adjusted quickly enough, have now risen to reestablish the lost glory of record labels. Here are my top seven...

The Top Seven

Mavins Records

Without a doubt, Mavins Records is the biggest and most influential record label in Nigeria. It's not only home to some of the best artists of the current generation, but it also boasts a massive catalog of talent that will continue to dominate Nigerian music.

Rema, Ayra Starr, Ladipoe, and several others are just some of the names on their impressive lineup. These incredible talents coupled with the tutelage of veteran producer, Don Jazzy, have already started to show that they belong at the top.

Mavins Records was founded ten years ago by Don Jazzy, and its growth has been amazing. Today, Mavins Records have signed deals with foreign investors to consolidate its grip on the music industry. They're one of the older labels, but they don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Chocolate City

Now seventeen years old, Chocolate City brought perhaps the golden age of rap music in Nigeria. Rappers like MI Abaga, Jesse Jagz, and Ice Prince, were the lords of rap music. With time, they diversified and played a big role in the recent global rise of Afropop. Love Nwantiti, the record-breaking hit song that went viral on TikTok was released by Clay, a signee of Chocolate City.

Chocolate City the record label is only part of a larger Chocolate City Group. It's a massive group of companies with dealings in the world of media and entertainment. Such is the success and impact of Chocolate City that they signed a deal with Warner Music Group. This has further boosted the progress of the label and the development of its new young stars like Clay, Blaqbonez, and Young John.

The Nigerian music industry is thriving thanks to the contributions of top record labels such as Mavin Records, Chocolate City, and YBNL Nation.

Davido Music Worldwide

You probably already know who owns this massively successful record label. Afropop superstar, Davido, is the founder, owner, and headline act of the label. In 2016, after Davido parted ways with HKN Music at the peak of the artist-label separations, he formed Davido Music Worldwide, also called DMW. Since then, he's helped develop other artists like himself including Peruzzi, Dremo, and Yonda.

Davido has remained the star of his label and keeps increasing his stock as a legend of Nigerian music. He's performed all over the world and just completed perhaps the biggest gig he's ever had, the World Cup. The other artists haven't reached his heights, but together they've formed not just a label but a group so tight they can be called a family.

YBNL

Chocolate City may have given the golden age of hip-hop in Nigeria, but YBNL founder and headline act, Olamide, set the standard for indigenous rap. Olamide rose to prominence in 2010 and started YBNL five years later. Since then, YBNL has become synonymous with indigenous music and street rap. They've built an impressive lineup of artists including Fireboy, Asake, and Adekunle Gold who have each developed their unique type of sound.

These three YBNL stars have spearheaded the progress of the label in the last couple of years as their veteran mentor switched his focus from making music to discovering talent and running the label. Olamide and YBNL played a massive part in the rise of Afropop and don't look like slowing down anytime soon.

With a growing number of successful artists, Nigeria's record labels are becoming major players in the global music industry.

Spaceship Records

Spaceship Records may not have the most impressive lineup of artists, but they have three-time Grammy nominee Burna Boy, and that's enough. Like DMW, Spaceship Records have one big name in Burna Boy but they can also boast the presence of Nissi, a veteran producer, and Telz, a Grammy-winning producer.

They're not necessarily the biggest in terms of personnel, but they've been a shrewd outfit, using Burna Boy's incredible success to land global deals with Atlantic Records and Bad Habit. These monster deals have helped further establish them as a force to be reckoned with in Nigeria.

Like most of our entries, Spaceship Records was founded in 2015 after another split between artist and label, in this case, Burna Boy. It was a small family affair at the start but Burna's success has pushed them up to relevance.

His mother and sister remain very involved in the running of things, but the label has grown enough to start scouting for outside talent. Bnxn, or Buju, was the first product of this latest push. That partnership ultimately didn't last long, but it was only the beginning…

Starboy Entertainment

Yet again we have a label that was founded after an artist separated from his original parent label. In 2013, Wizkid left Empire Mates Entertainment to start his record label. Wizkid was already a young star by then and some may have wondered if he would be able to keep it up without the guidance of his early mentors.

Wizkid started his label, then went on to dominate Nigerian music alongside Davido and Burna Boy for about a decade. His move to start his label perhaps inspired the other two who followed suit two and three years later.

Today Starboy Entertainment, also called Starboy Worldwide, is home to young artists like Terri and LAX, and producers like Maleek Berry and Legendury Beatz. Backed by a deal with RCA Records, Starboy Entertainment and Wizkid have grown bigger and better. The early days when many wondered whether he would survive alone are far behind, and the future looks more exciting than ever.

emPawa Africa

This one's a bit different from our first six entries. This record label, of sorts, is more of an empowerment platform for indie artists. Founded by Mr. Eazi, himself an indie artist, they offer mentorship to about a hundred indie artists all over Nigeria every year, giving them grants of up to $3,000.

emPawa Africa also has a publishing, licensing, and streaming service. Some of the most prominent beneficiaries of this program are Joeboy and Fave, two new-generation Afropop stars. Only about three years old, emPawa Africa still has a bright future head.

Final Thoughts

Record labels may not be as completely dominant as they used to be, but they're still a key part of the music industry. The traditional labels of the old have given way to the new artist-owned labels, and who knows where next things are headed? This is an exciting period for Nigerian music, and I'm more than happy to witness it.