Mr Eazi condemns practice of collecting money meant for artistes
Nigerian singer and entrepreneur Mr Eazi has warned individuals and organisations who collect money on behalf of artistes but fail to pay them, saying he is prepared to take up legal action against such persons.
Speaking in an interview on 3Music on October 29, 2026, the singer reaffirmed his support for artistes receiving fair compensation for their work, stressing that he would never support anyone who diverts money meant for musicians.
He explained that his commitment to ensuring artistes are paid is one of the reasons behind his Locker Room Bonus initiative, which he says is intended to support musicians.
"Now what I'm not in support of, what I will never be in support of, which is why I'm doing Locker Room Bonus as well, is somebody collecting money and saying the money was going to the artiste, meanwhile the money doesn't go to the artiste," he said.
Mr Eazi further stated that he is prepared to hire lawyers to help artistes take legal action against anyone who withholds their earnings.
"If the money is not going to the artiste, I will never ever be in support, and right now that I have money, I will even hire lawyers for them to come and sue you. This is the most serious I've been," he stated.
The singer also highlighted the financial difficulties faced by Ghanaian and Nigerian musicians, particularly emerging artistes who often have to spend money to promote their songs and secure airplay.
Recounting his early experiences in the music industry, Mr Eazi said he had to visit radio stations and distribute CDs to get his music to listeners.
“I remember those days when I had to go from YFM to this one to that one to drop my CDs across. You invest so that you get to your fans. Your fans also want to see you win,” he shared.
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He noted that artistes in Ghana sometimes have to pay bloggers to help get their music played on radio and television, raising concerns about whether they earn enough from such exposure to recover their investment.
“One thing that I see is that as a Ghanaian artiste, as a Nigerian artiste, as an upcoming artiste, it's very difficult. You get money, you get to shoot your video; to get your video on TV, you have to pay a blogger so that it can get your video on TV. To get your music on the radio, you got to pay a blogger,” he noted.
Using an example, he questioned whether an artiste who spends GH¢5,000 to secure radio airplay could make that amount back through royalties generated from the broadcasts.
Mr Eazi argued that unlike some international markets where radio airplay can translate into royalties for musicians, artistes who depend largely on the Ghanaian market may struggle to survive on music sales and streaming revenue alone.
“Now, if I'm in the US and I pay a blogger to put my music on radio, when my music is then playlisted and it's playing, I get royalties from there. That's why there are playlists. They calculate how much of your music was paid, then they pay you your publishing revenue. But if I do that, if I spend money, let's say I spent GH₵5,000 to get my song on radio,” he said.
He continued, “By the way, with GH₵5,000, if you get your song on radio, you have to thank God. If I spend that money, when the radio is playing my music, am I going to make that GH₵5,000 from there?”
Mr Eazi questioned whether an artiste whose music is consumed mainly in Ghana, without regular performance opportunities, could generate enough income from platforms such as Apple Music and Audiomack to support a family.
“When I sell my music on Apple Music, on Audiomack and all those things, if it's only in Ghana, if I don't get shows, am I going to be able to feed my family? Am I going to be able to survive? The answer is no,” he added.
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