Ayo Maff Faces Legal Battle as Tunesbid Sues Over Contract Breach
Rising Nigerian music star, Ayo Maff is currently facing serious heat, not from fans or critics, but from his own record label. The label, Tunesbid, has taken legal action against the singer, leading to the involvement of yet another young talent caught up in the web of music industry drama. According to the label, Ayo Maff breached their contract by signing new deals and accepting bookings without their consent.
The statement, which was released on the company’s Instagram page reads, “Tunesbid Limited, following a series of discussions, entered an Exclusive Recording Agreement with ‘Ayo Maff’ on December 3, 2023, with the Artist’s legal team Oyefeso Oluwamayowa Olumide, Okolie Amobi Chiedu, and Oyefeso Ayotunde representing OceansTreasure Limited. It further stated that, “The contract had a stipulated period agreed upon which includes the release of his three singles all fully funded by Tunesbid Limited within the first 7 months of the agreement. The singer and his management teams had continued conniving to defraud Tunesbid by entering a dishonourable contract”.
Basically, Tunesbid alleges that after investing time, money, and resources into building the artist’s career, Ayo Maff turned around to sideline them. Hence, the lawsuit seeks damages and a court order to stop him from performing songs produced under the label without their involvement.
For fans who’ve watched Ayo Maff’s rise with songs like “Dealer” and collaborations with big names in the industry, this development is disappointing, but unfortunately, not new within the Nigerian music industry. The story of artists falling out with their labels is almost as old as the music business itself.
Recently, iNaijaNow wrote about Mercy Chinwo and her former record label boss, Eezee Tee’s public fallout over issues regarding her contract with the brand.
Another prominent case is Wizkid’s dispute with his former boss, Banky W. Years ago, he famously parted ways with Empire Mates Entertainment (E.M.E) after disagreements over contract terms. Though there was no lawsuit, the tension was obvious. Wizkid left the label before fulfilling his album obligations and eventually went on to start his own label, Starboy Entertainment. His move marked a turning point, but it didn’t come without complications.
Kizz Daniel’s situation with G-Worldwide was another interesting artist-record dispute in Nigeria. That legal tussle dragged on for years and even forced the artist to change his name temporarily. G-Worldwide claimed he breached his contract, and the resulting court case impacted his performances and branding for a long time. Mohbad’s experience with Marlian records is one that Nigerians can’t forget in a while. The singer had accused Marlian of physical assault, death threats, and withheld royalties after requesting a new manager.
This recurring trend reflects that the business of music can be just as tricky as the art. Usually, a lot of up-and-coming artists who are eager to blow often sign contracts without fully understanding the legal and financial commitments they’re making. However, labels argue that they take big risks investing in raw talent and deserve returns on their investment, which is actually an important point to consider.
Ayodele’s manager, Ayotunde Oyefeso has shared more interesting details about the situation. According to him, Tunesbid did not fulfil its financial obligation to the artist. He also shared that it was expressly stated in the contract that if the label did not hold up its end of the bargain, the singer was free to take a walk from the deal. For Ayodele Maff, his case is still developing, but it’s already clear he has now joined a long list of artists with a history of record label disputes.
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