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I started as an Entertainer lawyer to help musicians, protect their money & know their rights. Biggest mistake I ever made. It didn't take me long to know I was dealing with hungry pre-madonnas. I almost ran mad and broke. I switched to Property law & my sanity returned.
Artistes think a Record label is Sinzu Money that must throw money at them to produce their songs, shoot expensive videos, drive big cars, wear expensive clothes, tour round the world, promote their music for free and dash them millions without expecting anything in return.
Artistes tend to forget that Record labels also invest millions in them to succeed and when the Artiste fails to make money, the Record label loses. When Record labels pump millions in an Artiste and records a massive loss, nobody sympathizes, pity or remembers them for losing.
The moment the Record label demands that the Artiste pay back or recoup some of the expenses they have invested in them, you see the Artiste running to social media to abuse or complain that the record label is cheating them forgetting that without the Label they are nothing.
How many Artistes on their own can produce a 10 track album, pay song writers, music producers, make CDs, promote their songs in over 600 radio stations, over 20 music channels, pay bloggers to trend their songs, pay for expensive videos & still have millions in their account?
When i see so many people taking sides with people like MayD and Cynthia Morgan I just laugh because you know absolutely nothing about the music industry apart from dancing to their songs. You have no idea what the Label has invested in them and how they are quietly suffering.
Who goes into a business to lose money? It's called Showbiz for a reason. Labels invest over 5million on an Artiste & Artiste makes only N500k for Label but Artiste expects to drive a range rover, stay in Lekki, wear fly clothes & travel first class for tours for free. Issokay
Free advice for every aspiring Musician. A Record Label is a Bank. No Record Label is your friend. Every money spent on you must be recouped double by the Label. If the Label does not break even after auditing all they have spent on Artiste, Artiste doesn't earn a single dime.
Artiste who chooses not to be sensible with money given to them to produce an Album should shut it when money doesn't roll into their account. Artiste that choose to spend big on videos, clothes, women, cars etc when 10kobo hasn't been recouped should not cry later.
Final word. The reason Olamide, Davido, Wizkid, 2face etc are smiling to the bank today is because they are sensible, not greedy, employed music lawyers & spent reasonably in proportion with what the Record label advanced them. Label must make profit before Artiste. End of Story
Anytime an Artiste comes on Social media to cry that the Label has cheated them, ask Artiste one question. How much did they invest in their career before Record Label invested millions on them. Ask them how many records and tickets have been sold to recoup what Label has spent
Ask Artiste how much it cost for a trip to Dubai to perform a concert from Ticket, Hotel, Club Organizers fees, feeding, transportation and spending money and how much Artiste personally contributed to demand that the Label has cheated them. Label is not their father.
Ask Artiste how much did he/she spend on studio time, producing a song, video, accommodations, transportation, TV interviews & money spent on DJs to play their songs 24/7 round the whole Nigeria. If Artiste can tell you they paid for everything then they can rant on Socialmedia
