Accra: Legendary reggae artiste Shaggy has called out global Ghanaian sensation Moliy for refusing to clear the instrumental of her 'Shake It To The Max' song for him and other artistes to 'ride' on the riddim. The development has triggered conversations about music ownership, publishing rights, and the strategic decisions artistes make when handling a breakout record.
According to Ghana Web, UK-based Ghanaian talent manager and music publisher, Mark Darlington Osae, has weighed in on the matter. In a video shared on social media, he offered context on why Moliy might have made that decision and stated how it could have been handled differently.
Mark Darlington explained that the first issue might be how the song was structured legally. The song was reportedly custom-made for Moliy, meaning the producers would typically own the rights to the production, while Moliy would own the masters. This legal structure would require discussions between Moliy's team and the producers to determine whether others should be allowed access to the master recording.
Mark Darlington questioned how the move of other artistes jumping on the riddim would directly benefit Moliy. He noted that since Moliy did not create the instrumentation, allowing others to use it would primarily benefit the producers through publishing rights and increased exposure. While every new artiste who rides the same riddim increases its commercial footprint, the gain for Moliy may not be as straightforward.
Furthermore, Mark Darlington pointed out another angle to consider: Moliy is still a fairly new artiste, and 'Shake It To The Max' was a breakthrough song for her. If major artistes had jumped on the rhythm with their own versions, they could easily have overshadowed her. For a new artiste, a breakthrough record is often a defining moment, and allowing bigger names to dominate the same instrumental could risk shifting public attention away from Moliy.
Mark Darlington illustrated his point by imagining scenarios where global stars like Shaggy and Sean Paul released their own versions on the rhythm. He suggested that Moliy might have been protecting her brand and moment from being overshadowed. However, he also acknowledged that having big artistes jump on the rhythm could have introduced Moliy to new audiences, offering multiple perspectives on the situation.
From the producer's perspective, allowing other artistes to use the rhythm would have been a major win, as each new version would generate more publishing income. However, if Moliy owned the rhythm outright, it might have made more business sense to let others jump on it, creating a broader income stream that directly favoured her.
Mark Darlington suggested a middle ground, advising that Moliy could have allowed others to jump on the rhythm while keeping elements of her vocals on the new versions. This approach would have made her a co-creator on the new works, allowing her to benefit both financially and creatively.