ARTISTE MANAGEMENT AND RULES OF ENGAGEMENT , THE TOPE ALABI , ANJORIN'S SAGA BY CKN
I have been following the ongoing online banters between popular actress Lizzy Anjorin and gospel artiste Tope Alabi
What were the issues
Anjorin alleged that the female act was paid N2.5m to perform at her event but on getting there, she refused to perform and walked away
She claimed the event was put together by her fans and not her
The artiste on her part claimed, she was not fully informed of the client and she was told it was just a "small birthday party " only to get there and realise it was a grand event , involving the actress
Apparently she felt , she was shortchanged because the amount was not commesarate with the event
What are the issues for me as a former artiste manager
1. I can never allow my artiste to accept to perform at any event without having the full details of the client
So did the artiste's manager ( her husband ) embark on due diligence, obviously NO..So he failed on that part
2. Why didn’t the organizers inform the artiste all the details of the client , why did they keep her identity secret ( that is pure deception and a breach of contract)
3. Was there a signed contract and indeed there was, what were the contents
In all this , I'll blame Alabi's management for the mess.
If they have done their due diligence, they would have found out the full details about the event and decide if the artiste should perform or not
Solution
Despite finding out late , the artiste should have gone ahead to perform and complain later , she could even ask for more , now fully aware of the details
The artiste has a right not to perform if there was a breach
But walking away from an event , isn't the best way out for an artiste, the guests are part of your fan base
The backlash she is having now was avoidable
That is the reason why I continue to say what we have now are ARTISTE MESSENGERS and not ARTISTE MANAGERS
An artiste manager should be well grounded in his act and must be ready to prevent his artiste from unnecessary and undue embarrassment
Ckn was the former Artiste and Promotions Manager, Sony Music Entertainment, Nigeria
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