George Britton has challenged the increasingly popular notion record labels are out to exploit musicians.

The said notion received fresh breath when Sarkodie’s 2024 Hennessy Cypher verse claimed record deals have some artistes “caged” in “a zoo”.

| Sarkodie on the Hennessy Cypher 2024

Reacting, music executive George Britton argued record labels and artistes can both be exploited, highlighting how vigilant all parties have to be and the need for contracts.

Role of record labels

Record labels come in to “project” what a talent has “to the rest of the world” through “marketing and promotion,” George Britton said.

He argued the principle used by record labels “is universal” and is just like an employee working for any other company.

“Artists are paid for their talent and equally, record labels have got to get paid for their services to the artist, which is, aside everything else, promotion and marketing.

“What happens is that, everybody’s contribution needs to be rewarded. So the record label gives you services, and in return, you pay or it takes away some percentage of the revenue that comes your way,” he explained.

He, thus, bemoaned: “I honestly don’t see where the negative tag is coming from.”

He stressed how important it is “to study” the contract that establishes an anticipated mutually beneficial relationship between an artiste and a record label.

George Britton spoke to Prince Benjamin (PB) on the Class Morning Show (CMS) on Class 91.3 FM.

The creative strategist cited how negotiations with record companies go.

“You have your talent as an independent artiste, you’re able to sing, do a little promotion, sell out a 1,000-capacity auditorium, you’re able to get a 1,000 or 10,000 streams, let’s say every month or every quarter, you’re able to amass GHS10,000 per show, GHS10,000 from streams and all these things.

“The label comes in and says: ‘If I’m able to put my strength to yours we can get a million instead of your 10,000 as an individual. Now, when I bring my structure behind you, we’ll be able to engineer you to be making a 1,000,000 instead of the 10,000 you’re currently making’

“Now, documents are presented to you and the [label] says: ‘Out of the million, we’ll take away 10, 20, 60, 70, 80’ or any percentage you agree on. Now, 50 per cent of a million is 500,000 with a major label. But with your strength you have 100 per cent of 10,000. Now, the question is would you prefer 100 per cent of 10,000 or 50 per cent of a million?” he asked.

Benefits of record deals

George Britton pointed out how the Sony management “pushed MTV” to “push Michael Jackson’s songs” making him the first Black musician to be on rotation on the world-famous entertainment and music promotion platform.

Without the record label, “Michael wouldn’t have gotten to where he got to,” Britton contended.

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For a local example, he compared EMPIRE-signee Black Sherif’s current reach, revenue and status to when he was a simple “Konongo boy doing his thing” and rhetorically asked: “Is that exploitation or an increase or growth in the brand?” if he is now “making US$50,000” compared to “US$10 or US$20,000” as an independent act?

“Where was Burna Boy 10 years ago? today, he’s signed a major deal and now he’s selling out stadiums, you know,” he added, noting, meanwhile, there are equally good artistes struggling in Nigeria without help.

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The GB Records boss said even for his businesses, in seeking “more numbers and more value,” he is open to consider the handsome proposal of an investor, seeing as he cannot grow at a desired pace alone.

Cheating allegations and selfishness

The popular talent manager highlighted artistes “usually come out to say they are being cheated because they forget where they are coming from and the investment that has been made in them.

“So when all the marketing and promotion done projects them to the world and they become famous or very popular they kind of think they deserve X, Y, or Z but they are not receiving it and therefore they are being cheated.”

In fact, he added: “The problem has always been that artistes get a bit selfish when it comes to some of these things. They never complain at the beginning because they think: ‘Okay, I need your platform, to excel, to [rise] to the next level of my career’. But when [they] get there, [they] say you’re cheating [or] exploiting [them]. It’s never the case.”

In conclusion, he stressed a record deal must benefit everyone at the table fairly, considering a record label “has a lot of people holding a lot of positions”.

He reminded artistes “You have every reason to be angry if a label is not able to market, sell and make you a top-class artiste.”

George Britton has managed artistes from multiple generations and genres for 15 years and counting. This year, he concluded a successful time managing Afrobeats star Camidoh, after four years. He says his current focus is his educational and self-development journey in the UK.