Up-and-coming artistes don't have access to intellectual property lawyers when signing contracts - Jonilar

Prominent Ghanaian digital music expert Jonathan Nii Laryea, also known as Jonilar, has raised concerns about the lack of intellectual property lawyers in Ghana.

According to him, this has left many up-and-coming artistes handicapped when it comes to signing legal contracts, often putting them in jeopardy.

In an interview with GhanaWeb’s Isaac Dadzie on July 24, 2024, Jonilar highlighted the difficulties new artists encounter when signing contracts without proper legal guidance.

He explained that many artistes are unaware of the contracts' implications, often focusing solely on the immediate benefits without understanding the long-term requirements.

“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 further stressed the need for artists to understand technical terms and requirements, such as performance riders, which outline the specifics of 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 also called on the media to be more proactive in educating artists and the public about these issues. Jonilar suggested that dedicated programs featuring experts in the technical and academic aspects of the music business could provide valuable education to aspiring artists, helping them make informed decisions and avoid exploitative contracts.

“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.

Jonilar’s comments come amid calls for greater awareness and education in Ghana’s music industry to protect artists and ensure they can navigate the business side of their careers effectively.

ID/OGB

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