South African singer Nomcebo Zikode and record label Open Mic<\/a>. Despite her contributions to the viral hit ‘Jerusalema,’ Nomcebo claimed she had not received royalties from the music company in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe situation escalated when Open Mic unexpectedly removed her 2023 Grammy-nominated single, ‘Bayethe,’ from Spotify and other streaming services, sparking concerns about artistic control and ownership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Financial difficulties can also force artistes to sell or surrender control over their music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the late 1990s, Nigeria’s music industry had no structure, and music was not as profitable as it is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seyi could’ve easily sold the rights to the song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If anything, he didn’t receive royalties in Nigeria for it as he has previously stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, his life has taken a dramatic turn, as he’s now credited on Tems’ version of the song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seyi’s experience highlights the importance of careful decision-making to maintain control over one’s music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imagine if Seyi had relinquished the publishing rights to the record for a paltry sum then compared to the song’s current worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Royalties from streams could be going to the buyer, likely a record label, now that Tems has contributed to the song’s renewed popularity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like any intellectual property, music is a valuable investment that can yield returns even decades later. It’s essential to protect it at all costs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Seyi Sodimu, the veteran singer behind the original hit song “Love Me Jeje,” has been beaming with pride. 27 years ago, he created the music that recently earned Tems a Grammy Award. The original record dominated Nigerian airwaves in the late 1990s. At that time, a 10-year-old Tems was likely focused on arithmetic homework and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":23482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65,58,67,94],"tags":[263,140,213,212],"class_list":{"0":"post-23480","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured","8":"category-features","9":"category-example-4","10":"category-opinion","11":"tag-grammy","12":"tag-grammys","13":"tag-music","14":"tag-tems"},"yoast_head":"\n
The Tems Grammy Win and the Lessons for Artists | Biografrica<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n