Ghanaian singer AY Poyoo has revealed the difficulties he had when his whole music repertoire was pulled from internet outlets due to a disagreement with his old management firm, Aborga Records.
The “Goat” hitmaker terminated his contract with Aborga Records owing to conflicts about his career ambitions, including several preferences that the artist requested.
The separation was made public on March 23, 2024.
The label retains rights to all tracks created under the contract and will recuperate investments totaling GH₵20,622.
However, in a video published by blogger ZionFelix on March 26, the singer, actual name Emmanuel Yeboah, stated that he now had to start from over because his old record company has erased all of his tracks from all digital platforms.
“I have to put it out there so people know that there are some things we do in a specific way. This is ruining my career. It shouldn’t be like this.
“You tell someone you have the biggest song in Ghana, he asks for the title, and you have to tell him it was erased by your prior management. It implies that you and your management are stupid.
“Because this is a company, we must benefit from it until we die, after which our offspring will take over and continue. But, yes, it has affected me. I nearly died. Seriously, I nearly died. But, thank God. Because hardly many artists have the fortitude to start again from zero.
He stated that the deletion of his songs has an impact not only on his financial security, but also on his reputation, since he can no longer allude to his work when discussing his accomplishments with possible investors.
“As an upcoming artist. Look at me. Assume I’m getting $2,000 to $3,000 per month and you’re suddenly not generating anything since all of your tracks have been removed from web outlets.
“You have an issue with management, and when they go, they just destroy your whole library. It shouldn’t be like this. It should not be like way.
“If we have an issue, we must split a proportion, so that even if you are gone, I have a role in the songs since we collaborated to produce them.
AY Poyoo advocated for a more equitable structure in the music industry, in which revenues and rights to music are shared equitably, so that musicians continue to benefit from their work even after leaving management teams.
However, in November 2023, it was revealed that AY Poyoo had inked a contract with Nigeria’s TMY Empire.
He announced his new record contract on Instagram.
While the terms of the transaction have not been published, he has been active in Nigeria, working on numerous projects and growing his network.
