Michael Collins Ajereh, the founder of Mavins record, popularly known as Don Jazzy, has disclosed that he never had any financial issues with former partner and member of Mo’Hits records, D’Banj.
He stated this in a live programme with Ubi Franklin, stressing that he enjoyed an unusual relationship with D’Banj while they were together.
He said: “The way I am with people in my company like myself and D’banj, money issues didn’t occur. I and D’Banj were so in sync that D’Banj can go to Oba of Lagos and return with N10 million and we would still share that money.
“It doesn’t have anything to do with performance o,” he shared while stating the need for record label executives to have a good relationship with their artistes.
“If you are not in a good relationship with the artiste that is when he or she will go outside collecting shows and not tell you.
“So bond with your artiste more, it’s not everything that contract can solve but it is good to have a structure in place so that if by any chance things get out of hand you can step in and the contract can be what you guys can use to solve your problem but I try to make sure that it doesn’t get to that.”
Stating how he successfully managed the label for the last eight years, the music producer said that it was by determination.
He said: “There is no structure in Nigeria, but then I have been hearing that from Mo’Hits time, from years ago so I said to myself what are we going to do now, we have to look for a way.
“So I came up with some form of way that we can work in our part of the world because everything I read on the internet didn’t seem like it was viable in our own space. It is on this live show that I began hearing 80/20, I don’t even think I have heard 70/30 before.
“I know that things like that dey for Oyinbo contracts but here it cannot work. Here, you are signing a contract with their father and mother, uncle, their Egbon and the Baale, and Oba of Lagos.
“So at the end of the day, you have to study human beings and look at how we operate in general, our culture is different, everything is different so you have to incorporate that into your business.
“But then also they are a few things I put in my head as I’m running my record label which I think most of us that run record label don’t put in our head, it is a business where the profit we are supposed to make is not that much, have you seen the name of Universal group owners name on Forbes list before, you would not see any record label executive there other than the record label executives that are their artiste or producers or stuff like that. So looking at that I was like okay so fine that means this business, a record label doesn’t make much money like that.
“So I try to work and understand the artiste. If you are making money and the artist is not, first of all the mother is the first person that will come for the artiste. If the artiste cannot beat their chest that they have moved from point A-B that’s when they will be having this plenty talk.
“I haven’t had anybody leave my record label while they are under contract so in that regard, I don’t relate, all my artistes have finished their contracts and in short added extra jare sef before they go.
“I don’t wait for them to come and tell me that you need to upgrade the terms of your contract, I already know that you’re a big boy, don’t worry I will help you upgrade it so that you know that we are equal partners, so that way they don’t feel that need to go out and venture into this whole record label business because jumping to go and start a record label business most people will realize at some point that it is not beans so for me I try as much as possible to have a very good relationship with my artiste.”
Newsmen report that Don Jazzy’s record label boasts of Dr Sid, Ladipoe, Rema and Crayon and it was once home to Di’ja, Tiwa Savage, Wande Coal, Reekado Banks and Korede Bello.
