₦airaland Forum

lawyer:
I don't think the Op understands what it means to be signed by a major record label and what it entails. I used to be an entertainment lawyer and i have seen first hand what goes into signing an artist to an international label and the risks the label takes signing artists. Most of the complains here deals with money and exposure the artist claims he is not getting from the label but no one wants to talk about the underlining issues that deals with signing a record contract.

First of all you have to know that a record label is a business and its number one priority is to make money. No label would sign any artist that would not rake in profits. Its not a foundation or NGO where they dash out free money for artists to waste and buy expensive things for no reason. Every dollar must be accounted for. What people don't know is that every time they sign an artist for Bleep million dollars, that money is like a loan given to the artist in advance to shoot videos, record songs in studios, hire producers, pay radio djs and vjs, push their cds to music bloggers, writers and radio stations, pay for equipment, pay for the artist's image and P.R etc. In return the label must recoup what they have given to the artist in terms of sales of their cds, concerts, appearance, endorsement and merchandise. That's why they have to control their image and creative rights so that they can successfully market the artist to recoup their money.

The problem arises when the artist agrees to take a huge advance of the Bleep millions he signed for and spends it recklessly. They spend so much on videos that won't yield any profit. They spend a lot purchasing flashy things to maintain a flashy lifestyle. They spend a lot on costly studios productions and mismanage the money. They move with a large entourage and pay for everything the entourage purchases. They are always popping champagne and living a lavish lifestyle in clubs and frolicking with women. Meanwhile the contract states that they must sell above 100,000 or more cds so that the label can break even but the artist has not even finished recording the songs talk less of marketing the song to the public. The contract also states the sharing profit formular for both the artist and the label ( maybe a 60/40 sharing ratio..60 FOR LABEL AND 40 FOR ARTIST) but the artist has already taken his advance of the 40% but he expects the label to still share the cd sales profit and concert profits when the label has not recouped anything. How do you expect the label to act when its running at a loss?

Most artists don't know the Label is like a bank. They borrow you an advance and expect a full repayment with interest. Once the Label is having difficulties in achieving its aim, it becomes aggressive and engage in drastic cuts to limit the expensive lifestyle and actions of the artist. Its that moment you begin to see the artist complaining that the label is cheating them but you would never see the artist tell the public that he was given Bleep amount of money in advance which they squandered. They expect the label to share the cd sales 50/50 or the concert profits 50/50 because they have achieved the fame they craved for without enriching the pockets of the label. Nobody would agree to that.

Look at most artists today. They don't have lawyers that study their contracts, they don't have accountants to manage their funds, they don't have sensible managers that advise them on what to spend and what to save. Its all about achieving fame and spending lavishly to impress the public without working hard to make money for themselves and the label. The label would not allow them go and break the contract without them recouping their profit and if the artist attempts to run, they would set a plethora of lawyers on them to conform until they recoup their money or break even. There is simply no free lunch contrary to what the public thinks. Some artists are so ignorant that they sign 5 or 6 year deals with a label because they promised them Bleep millions but they forget that the contract is binding as long as you took their money. They even sign without lawyers and pose for the cameras for bloggers to hail them as the next Michael Jackson only for them to start crying after 1 year when they don't see the projected income they were dreaming of. So if you are going to blame the Label also remember the artist is also at fault. No body would dash any artist free money to waste lavishly and not suffer the repercussions. The label is not their family member. Its a business pure and simple. If you collect their money, you must work for it. Its that simple!

heryurh:
Wizkid Signed ZERO International deal yet he's International already

babadee1:
OP, I was nodding in agreement while reading your piece until you mentioned Fela, Angelique Kidjo, Mariam Makeba, Sunny Ade, etc. And you said they never signed international deals. My guy you goofed big time there. All those people you mentioned signed international deals and were managed by international record labels. Please look up your facts next time before posting. In the old days, many international labels like Decca Records, Island records, EMI, etc actually had Nigerian offices.

Synord:
I was expecting you to back up your opinion with evidence but got nothing ... Pls there is a diff between affiliate and signed artist... Rotimi is an affiliate of EME but not signed there, tolu pf is an affiliate of Mavin, rocksteady is an affiliate of Hypertek...this doesn't mean any of them was signed under this labels.

please show me the pictures, the news and the time when any of this artists signed these so called international deals sir ??

Ugosample:
b
But they jam Caribbean tunes a lot, so that invalidates your argument that Americans don't listen to outside music...

Especially the Jamaican artistes

akpos247:
to b honest. these artists should stick to the basics cos non of them is gonna get d international recognition they think they would.

let go back to 2013/14 and thinks of the hit tracks our A-list artists lyk wizkid,davido etc delivered. they were d bomb and their songs got recognition all over Africa. as if DAT is not enough they want to get famous as d likes of drake,rihanna and all d us/Britain artists.

the truth is that since they started craving for so much fame,they have been singing whack songs.
imagine wizkid latest song ft drake titled come closer.d dumbest song ever by wizkid

feyiflutist:
This is so true.....
but they wouldn't listen

lawyer:
I don't think the Op understands what it means to be signed by a major record label and what it entails. I used to be an entertainment lawyer and i have seen first hand what goes into signing an artist to an international label and the risks the label takes signing artists. Most of the complains here deals with money and exposure the artist claims he is not getting from the label but no one wants to talk about the underlining issues that deals with signing a record contract.

First of all you have to know that a record label is a business and its number one priority is to make money. No label would sign any artist that would not rake in profits. Its not a foundation or NGO where they dash out free money for artists to waste and buy expensive things for no reason. Every dollar must be accounted for. What people don't know is that every time they sign an artist for Bleep million dollars, that money is like a loan given to the artist in advance to shoot videos, record songs in studios, hire producers, pay radio djs and vjs, push their cds to music bloggers, writers and radio stations, pay for equipment, pay for the artist's image and P.R etc. In return the label must recoup what they have given to the artist in terms of sales of their cds, concerts, appearance, endorsement and merchandise. That's why they have to control their image and creative rights so that they can successfully market the artist to recoup their money.

The problem arises when the artist agrees to take a huge advance of the Bleep millions he signed for and spends it recklessly. They spend so much on videos that won't yield any profit. They spend a lot purchasing flashy things to maintain a flashy lifestyle. They spend a lot on costly studios productions and mismanage the money. They move with a large entourage and pay for everything the entourage purchases. They are always popping champagne and living a lavish lifestyle in clubs and frolicking with women. Meanwhile the contract states that they must sell above 100,000 or more cds so that the label can break even but the artist has not even finished recording the songs talk less of marketing the song to the public. The contract also states the sharing profit formular for both the artist and the label ( maybe a 60/40 sharing ratio..60 FOR LABEL AND 40 FOR ARTIST) but the artist has already taken his advance of the 40% but he expects the label to still share the cd sales profit and concert profits when the label has not recouped anything. How do you expect the label to act when its running at a loss?

Most artists don't know the Label is like a bank. They borrow you an advance and expect a full repayment with interest. Once the Label is having difficulties in achieving its aim, it becomes aggressive and engage in drastic cuts to limit the expensive lifestyle and actions of the artist. Its that moment you begin to see the artist complaining that the label is cheating them but you would never see the artist tell the public that he was given Bleep amount of money in advance which they squandered. They expect the label to share the cd sales 50/50 or the concert profits 50/50 because they have achieved the fame they craved for without enriching the pockets of the label. Nobody would agree to that.

Look at most artists today. They don't have lawyers that study their contracts, they don't have accountants to manage their funds, they don't have sensible managers that advise them on what to spend and what to save. Its all about achieving fame and spending lavishly to impress the public without working hard to make money for themselves and the label. The label would not allow them go and break the contract without them recouping their profit and if the artist attempts to run, they would set a plethora of lawyers on them to conform until they recoup their money or break even. There is simply no free lunch contrary to what the public thinks. Some artists are so ignorant that they sign 5 or 6 year deals with a label because they promised them Bleep millions but they forget that the contract is binding as long as you took their money. They even sign without lawyers and pose for the cameras for bloggers to hail them as the next Michael Jackson only for them to start crying after 1 year when they don't see the projected income they were dreaming of. So if you are going to blame the Label also remember the artist is also at fault. No body would dash any artist free money to waste lavishly and not suffer the repercussions. The label is not their family member. Its a business pure and simple. If you collect their money, you must work for it. Its that simple!

magicminister:
When people that know absolutely nothingg about the music business want to have an opinion.

Firstly, I spent a greater part of last year negotiating few of the deals that are making news today and I can tell you for a fact that most of the deals are strictly distribution and not record deals.

Nigerian artistes are getting bigger than Africa and the time is ripe to package them and sell them to the world! That does not mean they'd lose local market.

How do the record labels come to numbers??

They evaluate your previous record sales and views on social media for a while. After which they can project potential future sale and then make you an over that can cover as much as 50-80% of potential future sale... this is where you need a good negotiator.
When the deal is signed, you get a certain percentage upfront and any music you release will be promoted by the label on their platform which includes but not limited to iTunes, vevo, Spotify, pandora and many more!!!

Look at all the massive shows we pulled off all over Europe and America last year and you'd know that it's a great deal!!

Emekamex:
I dont think so, they only listen to it if one of their artist is featured or features a Jamaican.

StoneColdBiceps:
Even when i heard "daddy yo" song i knew something was wrong.

Song is below par. Jamo kind of under bridge vibe.
Video is trashy

Sony controls the sound and style.

lawyer:
I don't think the Op understands what it means to be signed by a major record label and what it entails. I used to be an entertainment lawyer and i have seen first hand what goes into signing an artist to an international label and the risks the label takes signing artists. Most of the complains here deals with money and exposure the artist claims he is not getting from the label but no one wants to talk about the underlining issues that deals with signing a record contract.

First of all you have to know that a record label is a business and its number one priority is to make money. No label would sign any artist that would not rake in profits. Its not a foundation or NGO where they dash out free money for artists to waste and buy expensive things for no reason. Every dollar must be accounted for. What people don't know is that every time they sign an artist for Bleep million dollars, that money is like a loan given to the artist in advance to shoot videos, record songs in studios, hire producers, pay radio djs and vjs, push their cds to music bloggers, writers and radio stations, pay for equipment, pay for the artist's image and P.R etc. In return the label must recoup what they have given to the artist in terms of sales of their cds, concerts, appearance, endorsement and merchandise. That's why they have to control their image and creative rights so that they can successfully market the artist to recoup their money.

The problem arises when the artist agrees to take a huge advance of the Bleep millions he signed for and spends it recklessly. They spend so much on videos that won't yield any profit. They spend a lot purchasing flashy things to maintain a flashy lifestyle. They spend a lot on costly studios productions and mismanage the money. They move with a large entourage and pay for everything the entourage purchases. They are always popping champagne and living a lavish lifestyle in clubs and frolicking with women. Meanwhile the contract states that they must sell above 100,000 or more cds so that the label can break even but the artist has not even finished recording the songs talk less of marketing the song to the public. The contract also states the sharing profit formular for both the artist and the label ( maybe a 60/40 sharing ratio..60 FOR LABEL AND 40 FOR ARTIST) but the artist has already taken his advance of the 40% but he expects the label to still share the cd sales profit and concert profits when the label has not recouped anything. How do you expect the label to act when its running at a loss?

Most artists don't know the Label is like a bank. They borrow you an advance and expect a full repayment with interest. Once the Label is having difficulties in achieving its aim, it becomes aggressive and engage in drastic cuts to limit the expensive lifestyle and actions of the artist. Its that moment you begin to see the artist complaining that the label is cheating them but you would never see the artist tell the public that he was given Bleep amount of money in advance which they squandered. They expect the label to share the cd sales 50/50 or the concert profits 50/50 because they have achieved the fame they craved for without enriching the pockets of the label. Nobody would agree to that.

Look at most artists today. They don't have lawyers that study their contracts, they don't have accountants to manage their funds, they don't have sensible managers that advise them on what to spend and what to save. Its all about achieving fame and spending lavishly to impress the public without working hard to make money for themselves and the label. The label would not allow them go and break the contract without them recouping their profit and if the artist attempts to run, they would set a plethora of lawyers on them to conform until they recoup their money or break even. There is simply no free lunch contrary to what the public thinks. Some artists are so ignorant that they sign 5 or 6 year deals with a label because they promised them Bleep millions but they forget that the contract is binding as long as you took their money. They even sign without lawyers and pose for the cameras for bloggers to hail them as the next Michael Jackson only for them to start crying after 1 year when they don't see the projected income they were dreaming of. So if you are going to blame the Label also remember the artist is also at fault. No body would dash any artist free money to waste lavishly and not suffer the repercussions. The label is not their family member. Its a business pure and simple. If you collect their money, you must work for it. Its that simple!

LecciGucci:
ABEG WHO IS AYO JAY?..
IF AYO JAY REALLY GOY THIS DEAL TOO DEN.
THIS IS A JOKE??.

AYO JAY WHO IS NOT EVEN POPULAR IN NIGERIA.
I CANT REMEMBER ANY OF his songs

Synord:
At this point ,my maximum respect goes to Olamide....Shey international recognition ni Mama ma je?? Sometimes it best to be a Lion in the jungle than be a dog in the city... if it comes , it comes as long as originality is there, music has no language.

At the end, Good music will always triumph !!!

magicminister:
When people that know absolutely nothingg about the music business want to have an opinion.

Firstly, I spent a greater part of last year negotiating few of the deals that are making news today and I can tell you for a fact that most of the deals are strictly distribution and not record deals.

Nigerian artistes are getting bigger than Africa and the time is ripe to package them and sell them to the world! That does not mean they'd lose local market.

How do the record labels come to numbers??

They evaluate your previous record sales and views on social media for a while. After which they can project potential future sale and then make you an over that can cover as much as 50-80% of potential future sale... this is where you need a good negotiator.
When the deal is signed, you get a certain percentage upfront and any music you release will be promoted by the label on their platform which includes but not limited to iTunes, vevo, Spotify, pandora and many more!!!

Look at all the massive shows we pulled off all over Europe and America last year and you'd know that it's a great deal!!

joeace2020:
Pretty and portable... hmmm! strokes beards

bizclef:
Betta Dan ojuelegba remix?
Let him d singles with Chris brown
Shey u wan compare ago jay wt wizzy in?
No go dia ooo

Drienzia:
Watin con consine WizKid for Ayo Jay matter? Na wa for some pple o

babadee1:
You've obviously never read the biography of any of these great musicians otherwise you would know already what is common knowledge. Why don't you go on their wikipedia pages and check for yourself. The record labels that an artiste was signed to is always listed on there.

feyiflutist:

Synord:
I think I have a good idea who you might be sir.Good to know u on NL.

hopefully I will do better music and one day be opportune to work with u..

I believe and will keep working towards it..am a recording artist also.

joeace2020:
Where are you?

feyiflutist:

LecciGucci:
ABEG WHO IS AYO JAY?..
IF AYO JAY REALLY GOY THIS DEAL TOO DEN.
THIS IS A JOKE??.

AYO JAY WHO IS NOT EVEN POPULAR IN NIGERIA.
I CANT REMEMBER ANY OF his songs

chyke007:
OP I bet you will dump this your long epistle if Sony offers you $4 Million Dollars too