By Justin Ige
So many things are wrong in our Nigerian Entertainment Industry but who will be the Judge? There are powerful Judges and there are popular Judges, famous Judges, and Dons in their own right. They have the might but are they always, right? They do as they deem fit with no one to hold them accountable.
Sometimes, what they even do is Legal; but Legal does’t always mean right. Where is fairness? But they do what they do anyway because they have the might. They even go ahead and judge their own case and declare themselves not guilty.
YES, YOU ARE THE DON. NOW, BE A JUDGE AND JUDGE THESE:
1. You own a powerful Record Label, without you your artistes can’t blow; we agree you are the Don, but do you have a fair contract with your artistes? Is that fair? Judge that!
2. You own a powerful Telecommunications company, without you the artistes can’t make money from Caller Ring Back Tunes and downloads; we agree you are the Don, but you keep 80 percent of the income from these downloads and ask everybody else; Content aggregator, artiste, Record label, Music investor etc. to share 20 percent. Is that right? Judge that!
3. You are a powerful Advertising company, Executive/Account manager, without you, the artiste can’t get that corporate sponsorship for his event or endorsement or that well-paid branded gig; we agree you are the Don, but you ask for ridiculous cuts. Isn’t that wickedness? Judge that!
4. You are a powerful Media executive, DJ, Radio presenter, Librarian, and without you, the artistes can’t get that exposure they need. We agree, you are the Don, but you ask for cutthroat figures for promos. Is that fair? Judge that!
5. You are a powerful Alaba Distributor/Marketer, without you, the artiste cannot get on that compilation CD/Alaba mix; we agree you are the Don but you ask for ridiculous amounts from the artistes when you should be the one paying them. Isn’t that madness? Judge that!
6. You are a fast rising Artiste. Without you, your Label cannot recoup its investment; we agree, you are the Don but you think now that you are popular you can just jump ship or go on your own. Isn’t that selfishness? Judge that!
Dear colleagues and Friends,this is a wake-up call for us to reject these many WRONGS going on in the Entertainment industry so as to allow our industry grow. Some of these issues were discussed and debated heavily at the just concluded Nigerian Digital Music Summit.
The list remains endless and continues to grow and the Dons can go on judging whatever they like but might is certainly not right. The courts of public opinion are there and they are the real Entertainment Judges.
This article has also been published in HallaNaija
Justin Ige MCIArb is a Managing partner at CREATIVE LEGAL, a Media, and Entertainment Law practice. He can be reached via Justin@creativelegal.com.ng orĀ Mailjustinige@gmail.com
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