There has been a huge debate on how Nigerian Telcoms have been ripping Nigerian artistes of their creative earnings thereby stiffling the growth of average upcoming acts and established ones as well as even short-changing what could be accrued to the Nigerian economy

Dbanj took this fight head-on to the Nation Assembly using is super-star clout as well as his powerfully connections with top echolon of people in power and politics and was seen in this video articulating how Telcos (Globacom, MTN, 9mobile formerly Etisalat and Airtel) not only collect 70% of every revenue artistes make from caller tunes and other Value Added Services (VAS) leaving 30% to be shared between VAS providers and the Artistes.

You would appreciate the magnitude of rip-off if you have ever caller tunes transaction with VAS providers or better still with this simple analogy

Imagine as an artiste, you spend quite much to record, produce, mix and properly master a song (for example with A-list Producers with Mastercraft and Soukasound)
Then pay radio stations to ensure heavy rotations for your song
Then employ services of Deejays to play you song on their mixtapes
Then proceed to Alaba marketers to include your song in their mix-tapes
Then also place your song on top blogs which cost money
Then still go ahead to do aggressive social media campaigns using the services of Social Media Influencers
Then in order to give visual colouration to your song, you employ Clarence Peters or Unlimited LA to shoot a very dope video for you
Then pay TV stations to play your video

You would need to monetize it because making money from CD sales is not good anymore due to piracy (BTW, you would have even helped pirates because you already paid Alaba Marketers money in order for them to include your song in their mixtapes!) and to do this, you approach Telco licensed VAS operator.

After spending fortune already, where you even expect to make some considerable income though Ring Back Tunes and other VAS, Telco that didnt put a dime in all your effort would take over two-third of income generated through the VAS Service. For instance, Iyanya made close to 5 million downloads with the 'kukere' song. So the Telco would have collected 70% of all the sales made from Iyanya 'kukere' leaving him to share the rest with VAS Operator, Manager, Songwriter, and pay bills ...with what

This is what is obtainable in other climes - 70% to the Artistes, and telco take 30% but reverse is always the case here

Kudo to Dbanj, and fierce-some efforts from Ruggedman, Emeka Ike and other Industry personality leading against this injustice and rip-off!

https://twitter.com/iamdbanj/status/943523209013530624

Good one from him!! Artistes deserves more than their getting. To create is not a joke.

He wants to destroy the remaining part of his career by taking on a fight he cannot win. Learn from eedris.

Nutase:
He wants to destroy the remaining part of his career by taking on a fight he cannot win. Learn from eedris.

This is why Nigeria is not moving forward as a nation...imagine something like this coming from a youth? A Nigerian youth with our suffering and smiling mentality

Do you what Dbanj has been through? If most Nigerian artistes or any artistes whatsoever go through same, not only would his/her career would have ended, it would be forever buried! powerful foreces that are bent on destroying his career even from his former inner caucus or why do you think his mother took him for powerful prayer and deliverance as seen in this picture? (you could see him praying fervently because after Oliver Twist that took him global, he became the biggest African artiste and then bury-his-career enemies doubled their efforts in forms and ramification...thank God for mothers!

On issue of comparing with Eedris.....Dbanj is too sophisticated and matured headed in implementng tactical and diplomatic approach to very delicate and sensitive issues like this

This is fight that MUST be won...millions of Nigerians would benefit from this!

The only naija artist that think about the future, they may not appreciate u now bangalee, buh ya legacy is forever solidified

Shakushaku1:
The only naija artist that think about the future, they may not appreciate u now bangalee, buh ya legacy is forever solidified

Correct!

The only constant thing in life is change, not APC change o!

If you dont evolve, you stay dormant!

Dbanj has achieved everything achievable in music...infact withourt ANY LABEL backing but self believe...The Wizkid, Davido, Tekno, Runtown and others making wave have Label backing and heavy financial backings

He understands that with all these Nigerian, African and International recongnition, fame and superstardom, he wont rest on that past glory, but go to next pedestal of achievement....to another and another...that is artistic ingenuity!