By David Ogbona

The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has built and destroyed multimillionaire companies in the  world.

News media houses like Newspapers, and other print media sales dropped by 60% since the  pandemic hit. Print media houses turn to online media and microblogging, as some news-outlets like Premium Times introduce the support its journalism of integrity and credibility donation.

The  second wave of the virus turns entertainers in the movie and music industry into content creators. 

At this point, it safe to say, we are fully locked in the digital age, where it looks like the only lucrative  job at the moment can be found online from the comfort of your home on social media, like content  creating, brand influencing, forex, blogging or starting up a microblog on Instagram, like the likes of  

Instablog9ja. “When one road block, another one opens” — the daily anthem of a trying Nigerian.  Events occur daily and micro-bloggers break the news first before media houses pick on it, which 80% of the time it can fly under the radar for some reasons unknown. The following entertainment &  music blogs, news platforms and microblogs like Linda Ikeji, Wahala Network, InstaBlog9Ja, and  GossipMill actively respond to this information, by bringing it to the public’s attention ASAP. 

Since COVID broke, music & entertainment platforms like NotJustOk, Pulse NG, The Native, and  Biesloaded, joining the Big-3 music platform, breaking new talent you need to know. While some  of this information may be considered “entertainment gossip news,” others are undisputed facts  that netizens always appreciate because they either shed light on a topic or disseminate the most  recent data. These 4 media houses, now serve as a beacon for breaking new talents from Nigeria.

• NotJustOk founded by Ademola Ogundele as a personal blog in 2006 with over 1.2 million  viewers per month, from 183 countries, wasn’t left out during the break of the COVID, till  date it’s one of Nigeria most visited websites. Its music distribution unit has served as the  beacon for content creators turn music executive Carter Efe, with singers Ceeza Milli, and Soundz joining NotJustOk Distro catalog of great talent it unveiled during the pandemic. 

• Pulse NG owned by Ringier Nigeria, a subsidiary of Ringier One Africa Media. It was founded  in 2010 and operates as a division of Pulse Africa, an Africa media company operating in 6  African countries. It’s known for reviewing projects, and its music critic Motolani Alake,  was in a feud with Tiwa Savage on his review on her album ‘Celia’, and Alté singer Santi,  picking up a feud with him over his review on his album ‘Subaru Boys : FINAL HEAVEN’. 

• The Native — music magazine owned by The NATIVE Networks, an entertainment and media company founded by Alté musician Teezee and entertainment businessman Seni  Saraki. The platform was established in 2016 and serves as the beacon for Alté musicians.  During the pandemic, the platform began a column titled Fresh Meat now known as Under,  a section for breaking new talents from Alté, Afrobeats, Afropop, Hip-Hop, to Amapiano. 

• Biesloaded was founded in 2013 by Adewumi Adeyanju (aka. Biesloaded) and his friend  Ojimi Ayomide. The entertainment and music website emerged as a prominent figure  during the pandemic with over 1 million viewers per month, from 195 countries, with 60%  traffic from West African states. Biesloaded is known for promoting Street and Afrobeat’s artists on the global stage and has become a beacon for artists like Zlanta in the industry. 

In conclusion, to the print media houses which has refused to exploit the social media tool for  years. Did COVID unjustly do justice to them or made a wake-up call? — Media houses now  catching up to the digital space after the big hit on its print sales to crumbled in 2020.