Tiwa Savage recently dropped her partnership with the biggest African music label, Mavin Records, where 4 of her former albums were released. Her music will now be released through Republic Records – a part of the Universal Music Group.
What’s In The New Contract?
Tiwa Savage may be starting off as a new brand and we wonder if her focus will shift from African music. But the Afrobeat singer and one of Africa’s top female artists already has a deep root in Afropop, so we doubt she will deviate too much. The bigger details of her new contract were not revealed, but we decided to look deeper. This is what we have found.
The Purpose of Her New Contract
The purpose of her contract is the easiest one to understand. For the company whose contract is legally binding, they get the right to exploit her performances in sound recording. For Tiwa, the return will be a royalty payment and this brings us to the next point.
What Will Her Royalties Look Like
Tiwa will be paid royalties based on record sales. Most major-label deals allow artists to earn about 15 percent of the record’s retail price. However, Tiwa Savage cannot receive the money, until the recording costs have been recouped. For some deals, 50 percent of all music video costs also need to be recouped before royalties will be paid. But hopefully, the new condition that Taylor Swift has laid before Universal Music Group may soon take effect.
Territory
Universal is one of the companies that normally sign artists to a worldwide deal. They have a vast distribution network with offices stationed in worldwide key markets. Tiwa doesn’t get to sign a different deal anywhere else in the world. So, it will be a challenge for her if the label fails to release her music in certain territories.
Exclusivity
The recording contract means that Tiwa Savage can not record for another label without permission, neither can she leave the contract if she becomes unhappy. If she is invited to make a guest appearance on another artist’s record, she will need a provisional license to do so.
We do not know if the new contract/label is an improvement from the old one. But one thing is certain – her creativity is still hers to manage, which we hope she will continue to use presenting Africa in her own unique way. We also know that Universal is a strong label and this could give her career a positive boost in international markets. Good luck Tiwa!
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