South African DJ, Master KG, has reportedly issued letters demanding license fees from brands that have used his hit single 'Jerusalema' for profit through the popular #JerusalemaChallenge.
There ain't no such thing as free lunch on earth and I bet many marketing divisions that were skeptical and decided not to take up the #JerusalemaChallenge are carpet-rolling their friends and saying to them; "We told you about this song".
Hundreds of companies around the world used the song to boost their brands and endorse their products and services. The African Manner published an article about the #JerusalemaChallenge last year on September, 22, and exclusively demonstrated how Zimbabwean based companies such as Bitumen World used the challenge to market their services.
The dance challenge was fun and it came at the right time. Wearing branded T-shirts and caps and dancing to the song on dusty grounds and along office corridors was an affordable marketing opportunity. Master KG knew what he was doing, that's why he even liked and shared some of the videos on Twitter. That was free online publicity for emerging companies.
Warner Music under which Master KG is signed mentioned that they did not license the song, 'Jerusalema' to be used in any commercial manner, as such they are demanding license fees for the song.
"If there is an advertising or image-promoting effect in favor of an institution, organisation or company, then the company is legible to pay license fees".
Some of the leading brands like Coca~Cola did not take up the challenge, instead the multinational beverages company donated US$50 000 to Bulawayo for the implementation of a water and sanitation project. Now such interventions are brilliant and well calculated especially now during the global pandemic, where good hygiene is critical in the fight against the spread of Covid-19.
The strategy is phenomenal because it addresses real life issues affecting people everyday while at the same time working in favor of Coca~Cola, promoting their products and improving brand visibility.
Jerusalema by Master KG ft. Nomcebo Zikode made waves internationally with 343 million YouTube views, 155 million Spotify streams, 12.8 Audiomack streams and a total of 1.2 billion Tiktok views. It's not easy to reach such a milestone in the midst of a global pandemic and it makes sense for Master KG to demand his royalties, nevermind when he decides to collect his revenue, just give Caesar what belongs to Caesar's.
Just last week, social media influencers criticized companies in Zimbabwe for celebrating artists after their demise. As usual, if one company does something, the rest follow suit; that's the marketing culture in Zimbabwe. Again, many companies took advantage of Zimdancehall artist Soul Jah Love's funeral to promote their image using the liberation hero's pictures, music and signature phrases.
Musicians are professionals, they invest so much time in producing good music and spend lots of money buying equipment and building their brand. No one should take them for granted, they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. M.KG is right to demand his royalties while he is still alive, hope his story will be a wake up call to fellow artists.
German news magazine, Focus says that the Ministry of the Interior of the State North Rhine-Westphalia has already settled claims for the participating police department in the state. Some local companies in Zimbabwe who did not acknowledge the copyright panicked and deleted their dance challenge videos on social media platforms.
Much to their embarrassment and disappointment; the time lost in choreography and rehearsals for their management and staff and the copyright infringement complications will forever be tied around their neck for years to come.
"There can be no better way to celebrate our South Africaness than joining the global phenomenon that is spreading across the world and that is the Jerusalema dance challenge " - President Cyril Ramaphosa
Be that as it may, entertainment analysts posit that, Master KG's stance is likely to create enemies for him and his music. The musician might face immediate international isolation, but I doubt the effects will reach that extent.
Individuals and dance groups that used the song in a social set-up are not affected by the license fees. This constituency will continue to follow, like, share and dance to more of Master KG's productions. Besides that, the South African Disc jockey is a genius, if Master KG's strategy backfires, I'm sure Warner Music has a plan B that will clean the mess.
He can channel the license fees to charity or simply purchase Covid-19 vaccines and donate to national and international non-profit organisations and frontline workers. Another way to escape this one would be to release another hit song and this time around the Master will be leading people to Canaan.
@stajicesimmz