Iyanya Vs Ubi Franklin: The Nigerian Music Industry Is Not What It Seems Like And We Need To Be More Wary

As someone who has worked in a nightclub before, I must admit that the entertainment scene is a really dirty and messy place. Many a time, many of the glamorous things the media shows us are merely a front. Things are hardly as they seem.

Most relationships are founded on pretense and lies. At any moment in time, anyone can be stabbed in the back by someone who they once trusted so much. Just a peek behind the curtain and you’ll realize most of what celebrities do is a facade.

Human beings are fickle. We are quick and liable to change. People switch up on one another in their dealings. Mutual agreements swiftly become misunderstandings especially when there’s the involvement of a sizeable amount of money.

Many relationships have hit the iceberg because one person is probably trying to outsmart the other or outright ripping the other person off. The Nigerian entertainment industry is a jungle and a lot of folks are looking for people to prey on. Artists and record label owners have fallouts all the time. Co-founders have disputes over their contracts and equity.

Iyanya

In the light of the misunderstanding between former partners and friends Iyanya and Ubi Franklin over the co-partnership of MMMG, which has seen them both airing their dirty laundry in public, I would like to make a comment on how the industry is never what it seems like and how so many relationships are entirely fake.

Ubi Franklin

It is sometimes unnerving the rate at which people exploit others, especially the ones they claim to have love for. There are a whole lot of people operating on greed and using people and relationships to their advantage. The industry is filled with vultures and it’s so difficult to pick them apart from those who are true and real.

I would normally mention names, but there is no need to upset anybody or create a mess just for the purpose of it. However, we are certainly aware of how many relationships have been broken and ended because someone realized he or she was being cheated or that terms signed were not in his or her favor.

At this point, no one can be vouched for and it would do a lot of people a great service to be wary of the kind of deals and contracts they sign. To avoid the curious case of Had I Known, you should keep your eyes open and don’t rush to accepting terms without the presence of a lawyer or someone with a proper understanding of legal terms and contracts.

More people - artists, managers, investors, record label owners, show promoters, fans - need to come to the realization that the Nigerian music industry is shady. Many of these disputes can be easily avoided if more persons decide to equip themselves with knowledge and information on how contracts work or simply allow professionals handle their business deals on their behalf.

Also, people need to learn that  business partners or investors are not their friends. It is strictly business most times. And the music industry should not be approached without being guided by rules and regulations. There are scarcely any favors to be done. Everyone is out to make money and if you refuse to stay smart and watchful, it is inevitable that you’ll be cheated.