Ice Prince Says There’s More Money in Music Now Than in the Old Days

In a recent appearance on the Black Box x Nevon HQ podcast, veteran Nigerian rapper Ice Prince (Panshak Zamani) gave a clear view on how the music business has changed. Reflecting on the move from physical distribution to streaming, he said there is more money in music today than there was “back then.”

“These days there’s just a different way the money is being made,” he said. “So in a way I could tell you that there’s more money in music now than back then. With the streaming platforms, the pay is better than when it was Alaba.”

He shared his own experience to make his point. When his breakthrough album Oleku dropped, the masters were sold to Abu Ventures for ₦4 million. The project became popular across West Africa—CDs showed up in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and beyond—but the upfront money was small compared to today’s standards. “See how small the money was,” he noted. Now, the royalties he gets from his catalog through Chocolate City are, in his words, “mind-blowing.”

Ice Prince has made similar points in other interviews around that time. He said that artists today earn more because digital service providers (DSPs) allow them to track earnings in real time, and that he personally makes more money now than earlier in his career—while still getting booked for international shows and tours.

The “Alaba” era Ice Prince mentioned was the main way Nigerian music was distributed in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Physical CDs and pirated copies moved through Lagos’s Alaba International Market and similar hubs across West Africa. Labels and artists often sold masters or wholesale stock for flat fees, with limited or no ongoing royalties for many acts. Hits could spread widely through radio, street promotion, and physical sales, but the financial benefit for artists was often limited.

Streaming has changed that. Platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Boomplay, Audiomack, and YouTube create recurring payments based on plays. Catalogs continue to earn years after they’re released. Ownership setups have also improved for some artists—Ice Prince has spoken positively about his long-standing 70/30 split with Chocolate City, from which he still receives payments. Transparency tools now let artists see exactly what’s coming in, something that was much harder in the physical era.

Ice Prince is careful not to see the change as completely positive. He admits Nigeria’s broader economic issues impact live music, concert attendance, and day-to-day entertainment business. Cities that once hosted major campus tours and festivals now see fewer big events. Still, his main point is on the music itself: the ability to make money from recordings over time is stronger now than when physical copies dominated.

His own career highlights this. More than 15 years after Oleku, he still earns from older material, tours internationally, and says he is financially better off than during his early peak years—even as he prepares what he calls his final full album, Testimony of Grace, and considers other life chapters, including university studies and farming.

Ice Prince belongs to a generation that experienced both systems. He started when MTV Base, physical distribution, and street hustle defined success, and he’s seen the rise of social media, digital distribution, and global streaming. His view isn’t just nostalgia or hype for the present; it’s a practical observation from someone who’s been paid under both models.

His statement also challenges the common idea that the industry was more profitable or more “real” before streaming. For many Nigerian artists back then, the money was real but often one-time and unclear. Today’s system, for those who control or share their rights, offers longer-lasting earnings and clearer records.

Whether all artists benefit equally is another matter. Streaming payouts are still debated worldwide, and breaking through still needs lots of investment in marketing, tours, and branding. But Ice Prince’s view, based on his catalog earnings and industry experience, is clear: the money exists, it comes in a different way, and in many cases, it’s bigger and lasts longer than what the Alaba era usually offered.