The
Rapper has likened record labels to slave ships and is seeking to regain ownership of his music. It’s a struggle across the industry, with new players giving power back to artists
In September,
Kanye West took to
Twitter to declare the
music industry (and NBA) “modern day slave ships”, as he sought to regain the rights to his master recordings. He explained: “When you sign a music deal you sign away your rights. Without the masters you can’t do anything with your own music. Someone else controls where it’s played and when it’s played. Artists have nothing accept [sic] the fame, touring and merch.”
For West, owning his masters, some of which are held by label Universal Music and publisher Sony/ATV, is personal. “My children will own my own masters, not your children, my children,” he followed up. Since then, West has pledged that all artists signed to his own GOOD Music label will get back the 50% share he holds in their masters. He’s also proposed an eight-point plan for revolutionising the music industry that focuses on master ownership, short-term deals, an 80/20 split of royalty payments in the artist’s favour (it’s traditionally been the other way around) and transparency.