I almost died - AY Poyoo accuses former label of deleting his catalogue from digital platforms

Ghanaian artiste AY Poyoo has disclosed the struggles he went through after his entire music catalogue was removed from online stores following a dispute with his former management team, Aborga Records.

The “Goat” hitmaker ended his contract with Aborga Records due to disagreements over plans for his career, including some preferences that the artiste demanded.

The split became public on March 23, 2024.

Based on their agreement, the label retains rights to all songs produced under their contract and will recoup investments totalling GH₵20,622.

However, in a video shared by blogger ZionFelix on March 26, the artiste, real name Emmanuel Yeboah, said he now has to start from scratch as his former record label has removed all his songs from all digital platforms.

"I have to put it out there so people know that there are certain things we have a way of doing things. This is killing my career. It shouldn’t be like that.

"You tell someone you have the biggest song in Ghana, he asks the title of the song and you have to tell him that the song has been deleted by your former management. It means you and your management are fools.

"Because this is business, we have to have profit in the business till we die, then our children will come and continue. But yeah, it has affected me. I almost died. Seriously, I almost died. But thank God. Because not many artistes have the strength to start all over again from zero like me," he said.

He said that the deletion of his songs not only affects his financial stability but also his reputation, as he can no longer reference his work to potential investors when discussing his achievements.

"As an up-and-coming artist. Look at me. Imagine I’m earning about $2,000, $3,000 a month and suddenly you're not making anything because all your songs have been deleted from online platforms.

"You have an issue with management and when they’re going, they just delete your entire catalogue. It shouldn't be like that. It shouldn't be like this.

"If we have a problem, we have to share a percentage, so that even if you are gone, I have a part in the songs because we worked together to create them. But it wasn't like that," he said.

AY Poyoo called for a fairer system within the industry, where profits and rights to music are shared equally so that artists continue to benefit from their work even after parting ways with management teams.

However, in November 2023, AY Poyoo was reported to have signed a contract with Nigeria's TMY Empire.

The announcement of his new record deal was made on his Instagram account.

While the specifics of the deal have not been disclosed, he has been active in Nigeria, working on various projects and expanding his network.

Watch the video below

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zionfelix.com (@zionfelixdotcom)