Nkonkonsa Celebrity Gossip From Africa
Jonilar, a well-known digital music expert from Ghana, has expressed worries over the scarcity of intellectual property attorneys in the country.
He believes that this has put many aspiring artists at a disadvantage when it comes to entering into legal agreements, frequently exposing them to risk.
During an interview with Isaac Dadzie from GhanaWeb on July 24, 2024, Jonilar emphasized the challenges inexperienced artists face when entering into contracts without adequate legal advice.
He clarified that numerous artists do not realize the consequences of the contracts, typically only considering the short-term advantages without comprehending the long-term obligations.
“We don’t have enough intellectual property lawyers in Ghana. Imagine right now, I’m in Koforidua, and I meet an up-and-coming artist. Then I say I want to give him a contract. He has no idea. All he knows is his music recording and all that. He doesn’t know the business side of it… So if I want to be very wicked to that artist, I’ll tell him that, ‘Oh, let me sign you.’ For all you know, I can only do five music videos for that artist. But I’ve told him that, ‘because I have signed you for the next 30 years, you cannot sign any other record label.’
“The artiste at that time is not thinking about that. He’s looking for his immediate satisfaction. So you go into that deal not knowing what is at stake. And when we ask many artists today, what they regret is they were not able to get legal experts to interpret these keywords,” he stated.
Jonilar emphasized the importance of artists comprehending technical terms and requirements, like performance riders, that detail their performance needs.
“For instance, I’m organizing a program. If I ask an artist who is maybe in a region other than Accra or not so close to the mainstream, if I say ‘tell me your rider,’ they’ll be confused because all they know is that they give you a microphone, you jump on stage, you do your thing, you come out. Which one is a rider?
“A rider is actually the framework you are using to build your performance… These are technical riders for performance. How many artists know about this?” he questioned.
He further urged the media to take a more proactive role in educating both artists and the public on these matters. Jonilar recommended specialized programs led by industry professionals to educate upcoming artists on music business, aiding them in making knowledgeable choices and steering clear of unfair agreements.
“As media, we have a role to play. Sometimes we only come in when it’s too late to investigate these things when the artists go wrong. No, sometimes it should be deliberate. These are the foundation of the industry, the media.
“So as an artiste, before you get signed, you have all this knowledge at hand, and it makes your creative process run,” he said.
NKONKONSA.com
