YNaija Editorial: Beyond Twitter fights, contracts have to be honoured – that’s all

1399555_Don-Jazzy-and-Wande-Coal_1_jpgc867bc9e0b8b544f64c6f3a2abdc6373

If you’ve paid attention to the Nigerian entertainment industry lately, it is unlikely you have missed the network of conflicts that roil it, or have over the past few weeks.

Fresh off a wisely contained conflict brewing conflict between popular record label EME and artiste Wizkid (Ayodeji Balogun), the gloves appear to have come off. First, Chocolate City made it clear its contentious relationship with singer Brymo (Olawale Ashimi) would not be resolved as quickly as he thought. It culminated in a court injunction restraining Brymo from “from recording releasing distributing and composition, song, musical works or carrying out any activities as a recording or performing artiste through or for the benefit of” anyone other than the label, including himself. Apparently, the singer owes 2 albums, including the present Merchant, DeAlers and Slaves, which he sought to promote outside of his alleged legal obligations until 2016.

[READ: Brymo vs. Chocolate City: “Just a ploy to disrupt my release” – Brymo speaks out on rumored injunction]

[READ: Chocolate City reportedly gets court injunction to stop Brymo from making music [DETAILS]]

[READ: Artiste, Brymo opens up on leaving Chocolate City, his new album and more (WATCH)]

A few days ago, the chief executive of MAVIN Records took to social media to accuse his 10-year mentee Wande Coal (Oluwatobi Wande Ojosipe) of stealing his work. Apparently, the man with the falsetto released a single ‘Baby Face’ as his own material while it allegedly belongs to its label and consequently infringes on its rights.

Close by, the executives at Iroko Partners had an announcement of their own, their employee who ran the music business had allegedly breached his contract fundamentally by setting up competition. What followed was another almost-scandal, the dirty laundry still hanging out for all to see.

In one breath there are a number of alarming issues: the lack of professionalism of key actors, what commentators have called immaturity and primitiveness of the transactions call to question exactly what kind of businesses a new generation of value-chain owners are running.

It is unnecessary to discuss legal and financial matters on Twitter timelines, to fire people via blog releases, or indeed to launch into name-calling when consequences have not been properly thought through. Indeed, with piracy still a problem, income still exaggerated, record labels dying about us and players still crying over the lack of something called a “proper industry”, it can look like a big, bad meltdown.

[READ: MAVIN war: Twitter ‘voltrons’ take sides in Don Jazzy & Wande Coal feud (TWEET)]

[READ: Habeeb Kolade: Yes, Don Jazzy acted childishly but Wande Coal is the thief here]

[READ: This means war! Wande Coal stands up to Don Jazzy over alleged song ‘theft’ [DETAILS]]

But it isn’t. It is in fact a veritable sign of progress – institutions are testing their newfound legs, individuals are building structures, limits are being stretched; it’s the teething process. Any industry worth its name across the world, especially those that like ours have grown organically, will have to jiggle and bounce before they stand steady.

In fact, we are excited. We are hopeful that none of these conflicts die, and that no issues are swept out of the carpet. We are expectant that some of these matters will even go to court, be contested vigorously and go to judgement – legal precedent will be set, punitive measures implemented, deterrents established, and behaviours modified.

The important work that the Copyright Society of Nigeria is doing in this regard – challenging broadcasters, concert promoters, and just this week, a state government – stands at a signpost of the huge rewards that a properly managed and coordinated process can produce.

[READ: James Silas: Don Jazzy, calling Wande Coal out on Twitter is attention seeking at its worst]

[READ: Uduak Oduok: Don Jazzy’s Twitter rant exposed his (and our) business foolishness & selfishness]

[READ: It’s official! Why we let him go – MAVIN Records open up on Wande Coal split [Full statement]]

It is important that musicians, actors, singers, models as well as the companies and brands that drive their success understand they operate in an adult world where actions have consequences. As their contemporaries in football global know, they can’t just walk out of contracts simply because they have gotten uncomfortable.

The whole essence of the dotted lines is to ensure that investors are comfortable putting down their monies, talent make sustainable decisions that are properly thought out, and a whole value chain is able to depend on certainty. It doesn’t just benefit the corporations – it hugely benefits the individual who comes into a field of play and needs to understand the terms of engagement.

In an industry defined by bravado and braggadocio, it’s par for the course for artistes to fight over who is the biggest, who slept with whom, who bought a house or who rented, indeed who stole what video concept from whom. Those are the stuff of gossip pages, celebrity stalkers and all that defines the excitement of that colourful sector.

However some things belong in the realm of lawyers and accounts – debts owed, contracts signed and obligations incurred – and there, creativity is a word with negative connotations. As the singer MI tweeted a few weeks ago, “contracts must be honoured – fin(is)”. No remixes, no covers, no bootlegs.

The industry’s players – and this includes a media that is independent, informed and impossible to ignore – need to take this chain of events very seriously and understand that the present glut of circumstances go beyond their pockets and beyond page views and have long-standing implications for growth, expansion and
institutionalization.

So here’s to (law)suits, settlements – and to the sanctity of signatures.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

cool good eh love2 cute confused notgood numb disgusting fail