Famous skit maker, Brain Jotter, has cleared the air regarding claims that he exploited veteran singer, Mike Ejeagha who sang ‘Enyi Ga Achi’ (Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo).
Recall that Brain Jotter started a dance challenge using his 1983 chart-topping song to create content and after going viral it amassed over 20 million views.
Following the massive hit, he launched a search for Ejeagha and according to Tunde Ednut, the comedian promised to give him N2 million.
This sparked outrage as Nigerians questioned him for trying to give the 93-year-old musician a paltry sum when he deserves royalties from the skit-maker’s earnings for using his song.
Brain Jotter released a statement on Tuesday, clarifying that he is not reaping any financial benefits from the viral phenomenon.
He said: “For those who think we ripped him off or we’re making money from this whole thing, I understand your concerns, and they are very valid. I appreciate the fact that you want him to get value for his hard work, which is very valid, and I want you to understand that you are doing something good.
“The two million I gave him was from my pocket. My hard-earned money is just for humanity and not for profit. This whole thing is not for profit. We got the reward, which is the joy in his heart now. The joy in his heart now is my profit”.
Sharing a video of his visit to the music legend, Brain Jotter explained, saying; “At the end of the day, no dime was made from this song by me, nothing like that.
“All those music where I did put out there – Instagram, Facebook, YouTube – everything, the whole revenue is going to Mike Ejeagha’s record label, his production company.
“You cannot even monetise another person’s song because these platforms have copyright violation tools. If I post that video on YouTube, YouTube strikes it for copyright and they give the revenue to the actual owner, which is Mike Ejeagha.
“If you post it on Facebook, Facebook will tell you outright that this song does not belong to you; it belongs to this person. They take the revenue and give it to the actual owner.
“The song increased its streams on streaming platforms massively, and there’s no way I can put the song on streaming platforms. So everything, all revenues, are going straight to Mike Ejeagha.”
Leave a Comment