Slikour urges artists to learn business side of music

July 6, 2024 73 1

Rapper turned businessman, Siya Metane also known as Slikour, is urging young and aspiring music artists to gain proper and precise knowledge about the business side of music to avoid being ripped off.

The 41-year-old says young artists should not shy away from engaging in discussions with their managers and producers about music contracts and royalties before tying bonds.

This follows a debate on social media following the emergence DJ Maphorisa’s viral video in which he went a rant, slamming young Amapiano artists for allegedly spewing verbal diarrhea using his name while he is the one who influenced their careers and helped them make money.

Social media users, however, hit back at the music producer and songer writer, saying he is part of the cohort that rips artists off their hard-earned money.

Slikour believes it’s unfair to blame producers all the time while artists choose to remain ignorant.

“A song has a 100% ownership split between a producer and an author. If a song has more than one writer, the writers must decide amongst themselves on how the 50% share of the song will be split amongst themselves. If the song has multiple producers, they also have to follow suit,” says Slikour.

He believes having a reliable and trustworthy manager to assist with discussions on an artist’s rights to their songs and financial matters could take off the pressure from artists so that they concentrate on creating music.

He advises that artists also use digital platforms like YouTube to learn about split sheets, ownership of masters, among others.

On alleged blacklisting within the industry, which many people say is rife, the veteran musician advises artists to remain cordial and professional with those they work with to avoid being overlooked for gigs because people don’t want to deal with their egos.