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I ran a record label for four years without taking a dime from my artistes – Davido
Nigerain afrobeat superstar David Adedeji Adeleke, who is professionally known as Davido, has disclosed that after starting his record label, he operated it for four years without receiving anything in return from the artists.
Davido’s commitment to running his record label, DMW (Davido Music Worldwide), without collecting money from the artists for four years is a testament to his support and dedication to nurturing talent.
Many artists often face financial challenges when they start their careers, and Davido’s decision to provide a platform for his friends and fellow musicians to grow is commendable. It reflects a sense of community and mentorship in the music industry.
In a recent interview with American media personality Steve Stoute, he made this claim and indicated that he regarded it as a way to support the development and aspirations of his friends.
The DMW boss stated that he has explained to the new signees under his record label that the music industry is a business and that money needs to be made. He was speaking as a panelist at UnitedMasters SelectCon 005 in New York.
Davido also expressed his happiness that his success has spread to the artists he signed to the record label in the beginning, including Mayorkun, Peruzzi, and Dremo.
He said: “My label was really more like a family to me, I was young, to me I was just happy putting my boy on. I ran a label for four years and I didn’t take one dime from my artistes.
“I was paying for videos, I was paying for accommodation, I was paying for welfare. I was just happy seeing that my success could rub off on others. That was money to me.
Afrobeats got to a place where its global and I have to explain to the artistes “in these days this is business, to make money you gotta spend money’”.
Watch him speak below:
“I ran a record company for Four years and never took a dime from my Artistes” – Davido
🎥 – @SteveStoute pic.twitter.com/yoL7hFIqzv
— Daily Viral Gist (@Dailygistz) October 15, 2023
About the documentary, the feel crooner said: “I really wanna show people the struggle behind the scenes because everybody sees the aftermath of things or the success stories without seeing what goes on behind.
“I want people to see that, not only to be inspired but to not give up cos you see a lot of things in the documentary where I was at the point of giving up. I thought I would be unable to sing again.”