Artist must ensure ownership rights

I have observed with keen interest and disappointment, the latest trend where musicians collaborate to produce a song and then end up fighting over ownership.

This has been happening for years and it has destroyed many working relationships between musicians. Just recently, there was a feud involving Makhadzi and King Monada over a song titled “Ganama”, over which both claimed ownership.

It got ugly in the social media as they publicly laid claim to the song, with each one giving a different account of what transpired with the song rights.

It sent multiple red flags regarding artists’ ability to interpret musical rights. It ended up a disappointingly ugly scene, as both decided to release their own version of the song, much to the amusement and disappointment of their fans and music lovers at large.

Another debacle was one involving Master KG and Nomcebo over the royalties of Jerusalema. Nomcebo stated that she was never compensated for her vocals. This was disputed by Master KG and his record label, Open Mic Productions.

I think artists must sign a contract recording. It must be made clear who owns the song and what rights each party has over it. Malphia Honwane