Aside from helping young music talents find their rhythm, the renowned show promoter has been responsible for helping returnee artistes settle down here in Nigeria. The success story of the likes of Tiwa Savage, Seyi Shay and the rest won’t be complete without Mr. Hammond.
Reflecting on the journey in the last 15 years, the President, Flytime Group, Cecil Hammond, said one of the biggest challenges of the music festival is sponsorship, as artistes fees increase drastically every year. “Not that we want to charge those fees or segregate, that’s not the case; it’s because we have to pay for our costs. However, irrespective of these challenges, we have forged ahead with each show turning better than the previous. There is absolutely no giving up because if other countries could do it, then we can in Nigeria too.”“Because of my passion for music, I knew we would get there even though we run losses sometimes. Still, we have been soaring higher.
He continued: “I entered inside and the place was filled to capacity with so many people still outside. That was when I knew that Nigerians were last-minute people; the show was very successful. We then decided to do the next show a few months later; we took it to Port Harcourt, Benin, Jos, Abuja. However, the shows outside Lagos were not really profit-making because you charge a lot less for a ticket.