Why Nigerian record labels fall out with their artistes

Stanley Ihensekhien, the founder of a popular record label, Jamika Entertainment, has said the reason some record labels fall out with their artistes is that they fail to look out for the right qualities before signing a contract.

The singer said this during an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday in Lagos.

He said, “The numerous legal tussles in the Nigerian music industry can be avoided if artistes are aware of the terms of their contract. Also, these record labels do not ensure they have the right chemistry with their artistes.

“Apart from talent, they do not look at their personality, their background, and if they have the right chemistry to work with their team. If the artiste has the perfect connection with you, then it is easy to work with them to achieve their collective goals’’.

“If you even ask some artistes what licensing is they can’t even tell you neither can they tell you what copyright is? But, these are things most of us don’t pay attention to and we get to pay for them in the long run. We don’t even read contracts, we don’t even try to understand them and we don’t even try to get lawyers to interpret it for us.”

“All our artistes are known as the Jamika Force, we are one family and team, we all discuss and make plans together, it is a collective thing. That’s why it is important to us that we take people who have the right personality and chemistry to join us. You can’t put a vulture among eagles, they might be birds but one is a scavenger and the other a powerful hunter,” he said.

He said; ‘We have no competition and let me clarify, we don’t really see them as competition, we are more like a family taking Nigeria entertainment to the forefront of international relevance. We have worked with other major labels and artists such as G-Worldwide and Skales, and we are always supporting each other because a win for one is a win for Nigeria on the international stage.”

“Well, then on the National stage it is just about putting out good music for all our fans to enjoy. We have to make Nigerians happy, dance, and forget their troubles. So I guess the competition is who makes Nigerians happier and makes them dance best.”

Commenting on the prospects of his artistes, he said they all have what it takes to become the rave of the Nigerian music industry.

“Our fans and the music industry at large know how versatile our acts are, they all have their unique individual styles. For example, Sultan, who is better known as a young Hip-Hop prodigy, has established himself as a talented afro-pop after he released his second album. Yung Bos has a similar backstory to that, his sound is more of western pop but he is versatile enough to mix it with elements of Afrobeats. That makes him different and he is just 15 and this is quite special.”

“We have major plans to expand in the entertainment industry, we are looking to go into movies and possibly the video gaming market. We want to be able to tap into the vast wealth of artistic talent Nigeria has to offer and push it beyond our borders so that Nigeria’s entertainment will continue to have relevance on the international stage. So our vision for the future is to be one of the major players in the entertainment industry.”

Since its formation, they have won and have been nominated for prestigious awards. When all the acts collaborate together on a song they are known as the ‘Jamika Force’.