“You Can’t Monetize Another Person’s Song”
Nigerian comedian and skitmaker Chukwuebuka Amuzie, aka Brain Jotter, has responded to concerns about potentially profiting from a viral dance challenge.
The challenge, which he popularized, features the catchy chant “Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo” from Mike Ejeagha’s 1983 song “Onye Ori Utaba”.
The 41-year-old song by the 93-year-old folklore icon has swept social media, raising concerns about revenue allocation and copyright.
Responding to the allegations, Brain Jotter posted a video of his visit to the music legend on his Instagram page on Tuesday stating that he does not profit from the viral trend.
He said, “For those who think we ripped him off or we’re making money from this whole thing, I understand your concerns and they are very valid. I appreciate the fact that you want him to get value for his hard work, which is very valid, and I want you to understand that you are doing something good.”
He explained, saying, “At the end of the day, no dime was made from this song by me, nothing like that.”
Brain Jotter went on to illustrate how content monetization works across various platforms.
“All those music where I did put out there – Instagram, Facebook, YouTube – everything, the whole revenue is going to Mike Ejeagha’s record label, his production company,” he said.
He explained how copyright protection works on various platforms.
He said, “You cannot even monetize another person’s song because these platforms have copyright violation tools. If I post that video on YouTube, YouTube strikes it for copyright and they give the revenue to the actual owner, which is Mike Ejeagha.
“If you post it on Facebook, Facebook will tell you outright that this song does not belong to you, it belongs to this person. They take the revenue and give it to the actual owner.”
The comedian highlighted a positive outcome of the viral challenge, stating, “The song increased its streams on streaming platforms massively, and there’s no way I can put the song on streaming platforms. So everything, all revenues, are going straight to Mike Ejeagha.”
READ MORE: Brain Jotter Meets Veteran Singer Mike Ejeagha After Song Goes Viral
Brain Jotter also revealed that he gave Ejeagha two million naira, stating, “The two million I gave him was from my pocket. My hard-earned money is just for humanity and not for profit. This whole thing is not for profit.”
He also expressed gratitude for the delight that the challenge has offered.
“We got the reward, which is the joy in his heart now. The joy in his heart now is my profit,” he said.
Watch him speak below…
