Ghanaian musician, Odakky Andy of Mentor 1 fame has revealed that signing a wrong 10-year contract with a label was one of the biggest mistakes he made at the beginning of his music career.
He explained that, his zeal to make it big in the early stages of his music career and earn a good brand for himself made him quickly sign the contract without properly reading through it.
Odakky Andy openly blamed himself for the misfortune he faced, as it was only after signing the contract that he realized that he had been legally bound to the label for ten years.
“From my side, it was tough and rough after releasing my first album. I also signed the wrong contract. The duration was too long. The contract was for ten years. I was supposed to take my time and read the contract, which I didn’t. So I blame myself for signing the contract without seeking legal counsel from a lawyer before signing it,” he said.
The musician further explained that after he got signed to the label, the producer moved out of the country, hindering his chances of releasing more new songs and albums. Also, fear of paying legal penalties made it difficult for him to annul the contract.
Odakky Andy, out of loyalty and respect for the label, decided to patiently wait for his producer to come back to Ghana as promised so they could continue creating and releasing good music.
However, things didn’t pan out as planned, and six years later, the producer finally reached out to Odakky and asked him to move on and find another label because he didn’t have plans to return to Ghana before the end of the 10-year contract.
“After releasing my first album, the producer traveled outside the country, so we couldn’t work again. And because I had signed a contract, I couldn’t go behind him and release songs because we had an agreement. He later called after six years to tell me he’s not coming back anytime soon,” he narrated.
Andy also said after leaving the label, he was able to release new music on his own. Despite the fact that he was continually releasing songs, he said that they weren’t acquiring the traction he had hoped for.
This is due to the fact that he self-financed the production of his music.
Again, money to market the tracks had become difficult by the time they were released.
“I was doing everything myself. I was managing, producing, financing, recording, writing, shooting videos, and promoting myself, so it wasn’t easy. That is why people weren’t hearing from me. I was releasing it, but people weren’t hearing it,” he explained.
The musician acknowledged that, though he faced many challenges in the music industry, his decision to stay in the industry, work hard and not give up on his dreams has finally paid off.
According to him, owning a record label will help his music go far. He revealed that with the advice and guidance of some big names in the music industry, he has learned new skills that will enable him to run a successful label and remain relevant in the industry.
He asked Ghanaians to watch out for more content from him, as he plans on releasing three albums by the end of 2023.
