'We've had artistes who have signed away their intestines' - Kwesi Ernest

Veteran artiste manager Kwesi Ernest has issued a stern warning to Ghanaian musicians about the dangers of signing record deals without proper legal guidance.

Speaking in an interview on Joy Prime, Kwesi Ernest identified three key figures as essential to an artiste's growth and protection, the artiste themselves, a manager and a lawyer, arguing that all three must work together to scrutinise any agreement before it is signed.

"Three people are very important in the growth of every artist. One is the artist himself or herself. Two is a manager. And then three is a lawyer. These three people play a very important role," he said.

Desperation has led many artistes to sign contracts without proper understanding – Kwesi Ernest

The veteran manager warned that record labels and investors routinely embed unfavourable clauses in contracts in places where they are unlikely to be noticed and that only a skilled lawyer would be able to identify them.

"Investors have a way they put certain clauses in certain hidden areas and it will take a very good lawyer to be able to spot them. We've had artistes who have signed away their intestines because they didn't read through the contract with a lawyer," he said.

Kwesi Ernest also cautioned artistes against allowing desperation for success to cloud their judgement when signing contracts, warning that investors are capable at spotting and exploiting vulnerability.

"Irrespective of how desperate for success an artiste is, you must also make sure that your brains are activated such that you will not go and sit in front of an investor and the investor will be like, 'This person is very desperate. I can pin him down with a contract for 10 years and for the 10 years, every year he'll be producing 10 albums for me and if I give him GH¢20,000 a month, he will accept,'" he warned.

ID/AM

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