Understanding the Music Genres for MCSN Work Submission
When you register your works with MCSN, selecting the correct genre ensures your music is properly classified, tracked, and matched to the right royalty streams. Here's a comprehensive guide to every genre option available.
Introduction
The MCSN Work Submission Form requires you to select a genre for each track you register. This isn't just an administrative detail; it directly affects how your music is categorized in MCSN's database, how it is matched to usage reports from radio stations and streaming platforms, and how it is represented in the Society's international data exchanges with partner PROs.
Choosing the wrong genre can result in your music being overlooked during royalty matching, especially when international organizations process usage data by genre category. The following guide explains each of the available genre options to help you make the most accurate selection.
Pop
Pop music is characterized by catchy melodies, simple structures, and broad commercial appeal. In Nigeria, pop encompasses much of the mainstream Afropop sound that has driven the global success of artists like Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy. If your song is primarily melody-driven with a hook-focused structure aimed at wide audiences, Pop is the appropriate classification.
Afrobeat
Rooted in the legacy of Fela Kuti, Afrobeat fuses West African rhythms, jazz, funk, and highlife with socially conscious or celebratory lyrics. Modern Afrobeat and Afrobeats (the contemporary derivative) represent Nigeria’s most globally recognized genre. Select this category if your work features prominent African percussion, groove-driven rhythms, and the distinctive Afrobeat feel.
Alternative
Alternative music in Nigeria encompasses experimental and genre-blending works that defy mainstream categorization. Artists like Odunsi (The Engine), Santi, and Lady Donli have carved out a thriving alternative scene in Lagos and beyond. Choose this genre if your music intentionally pushes boundaries and draws from multiple unconventional influences.
Classical
Classical music includes orchestral compositions, choral works, art songs, and chamber music rooted in Western classical traditions. In Nigeria, this also encompasses works by composers who blend classical techniques with Nigerian themes and languages. Select this if your composition is scored for traditional classical instruments or follows classical forms.
Commercial
Commercial music refers to compositions created specifically for advertising, corporate use, jingles, brand campaigns, and promotional content. This category covers music that is commissioned for a commercial purpose rather than released as an artistic work. If your track was created for a brand, product, or business campaign, this is the correct category.
Country
Country music features storytelling lyrics, acoustic instrumentation (guitar, fiddle, banjo), and themes of everyday life and emotion. While not as widespread in Nigeria as other genres, some Nigerian artists incorporate country influences into their work. Select this genre if your music primarily follows country music conventions.
Dance & Electronic
This genre covers music created primarily with electronic instruments, synthesizers, drum machines, and digital production tools. In Nigeria, electronic music intersects with Afrobeats through producers creating club-ready tracks, Amapiano-influenced works, and EDM fusion. Choose this if your track is beat-driven and intended for dance floors or electronic music platforms.
Traditional Music
Traditional music represents the indigenous musical heritage of Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups, including Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Tiv, Ijaw, and many others. These works feature traditional instruments such as the talking drum, shekere, ogene, and kakaki. Select this genre if your music is rooted in the cultural and ceremonial traditions of a specific Nigerian community.
Highlife
Highlife is one of West Africa’s oldest popular music genres, blending local melodies with Western instruments. Originating in Ghana and Nigeria, it features guitar-driven arrangements, brass sections, and call-and-response vocals. Nigerian legends like Rex Lawson, Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, and Oliver De Coque defined the genre. Choose Highlife if your composition follows these foundational patterns.
Hip Hop / Rap
Hip Hop and Rap in Nigeria encompass a vibrant scene from the lyrical prowess of artists like M.I Abaga and Olamide to the street-hop sound that blends rap with Afrobeats. If your work is primarily driven by rhythmic spoken-word delivery, lyrical flow, and beat-based production, select this category.
Jazz
Jazz encompasses improvisation, complex harmonies, swing rhythms, and a wide range of sub-genres from bebop to smooth jazz. Nigeria has produced notable jazz musicians and the genre influences many contemporary Nigerian artists. Select Jazz if your composition features jazz harmony, improvised solos, or follows traditional jazz structures.
Funk
Funk music emphasizes strong rhythmic grooves, syncopated bass lines, and danceable patterns. The genre has deep roots in African-American music and has significantly influenced Nigerian music, particularly Afrobeat and modern Afropop production. Choose Funk if your track features prominent bass-driven grooves and rhythmic emphasis over melodic elements.
Kids and Children Music
Music created specifically for young audiences, including educational songs, nursery rhymes, lullabies, and children’s entertainment. In Nigeria, this includes songs in English, Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, and other languages designed for early childhood learning and play. Select this if your composition is targeted at children.
Music for Motion Pictures
This category covers music composed for film, television, documentaries, and other visual media. It includes original scores, theme songs, and incidental music for Nollywood productions and other Nigerian screen content. If your music was created specifically for use in a visual media production, this is the appropriate genre selection.
Reggae & Dancehall
Reggae and Dancehall music originated in Jamaica and has a strong following in Nigeria. Characterized by offbeat rhythms, bass-heavy production, and distinctive vocal styles, these genres have influenced many Nigerian artists. Select this category if your music features reggae riddims, dancehall patterns, or the characteristic offbeat guitar skank.
Rhythm & Blues / Soul
R&B and Soul music emphasize vocal performance, emotional expression, and smooth melodic arrangements. Nigerian R&B has produced acclaimed artists and the genre often overlaps with Afropop. Choose this category if your composition prioritizes vocal-driven melodies, lush harmonies, and the emotional depth characteristic of R&B and Soul traditions.
Rock
Rock music features electric guitars, strong rhythms, and high-energy performances. While not the dominant genre in Nigeria, a growing community of Nigerian rock and metal artists is expanding the scene. Select Rock if your music is guitar-driven with rock song structures, distorted tones, or draws from rock sub-genres.
Spiritual / Gospel
Gospel and spiritual music is one of Nigeria’s largest genres, encompassing praise and worship, contemporary gospel, traditional hymns, and inspirational music. From Sinach to Nathaniel Bassey, Nigerian gospel has global reach. Select this genre if your composition is faith-based and intended for worship, devotion, or spiritual encouragement.
Spoken Word / Medley
Spoken Word covers poetry performances, recitations, and spoken narratives set to music or performed independently. Medley refers to compositions that combine multiple songs or musical themes into a single continuous arrangement. Select this if your work is primarily driven by spoken delivery or consists of a curated blend of multiple musical pieces.
Conclusion
Accurate genre classification is more than a formality. It ensures your music is properly recognized, correctly tracked, and fairly compensated across all collection channels. When submitting your works to MCSN, take the time to select the genre that best represents each track.
If your music genuinely spans multiple genres, select the one that best describes the primary sonic identity of the track. When in doubt, consider which genre a radio programmer or playlist curator would file your song under. That classification will most closely match how usage data is reported back to MCSN.