by Onyekachi Ndot Akanu-ibiam

Musical Notes, Sound & Money is a project exploring the relationship between music and economic systems. It starts with the idea that both music and money convert human creativity, labour, time, and emotion into measurable value.  By examining the current music ecosystem, including creation, production, distribution, streaming platforms, and promotion, the project reveals how artist value is determined through platforms, algorithms, and record labels. Within these structures, artists often generate cultural value but have limited control over ownership, visibility, and financial return.

The project is framed through the narrative of an artist named Jack, who maps his journey through the music industry while questioning how to reach his target audience and how his value is tied to his work.

This exploration creates possibilities including strong community involvement, less reliance on record labels, artists recognising ownership of their masters, and equitable distribution of value.

The work is expressed through user journey mapping, system diagram illustrations, and a symbolic visual language.  Lines represent one of the earliest forms of storytelling and communication, a map guides through complex systems, and dots symbolise beginnings and endings. The symbolic language draws inspiration from Nsibidi, an ancient communication system from southeastern Nigeria, connecting the work to my cultural heritage. The black-and-white palette reflects both my Christian belief in the creation of light emerging from darkness and the earliest form of digital visual communication before colour.