Popular singer Ayo Maff is currently embroiled in a dispute with his record label, Tunesbid Limited, over alleged breaches of their contractual agreement.
The music company recently blasted the artist for failing to honour the contract they agreed.
Speaking via a press statement, the label’s Chief Executive Officer, Precious Okolie, alleged that despite investing major resources to promote Ayo Maff, the singer and his management team went behind their back to engage with global distribution company, Empire Distribution.
According to the CEO, despite Empire approaching the label to signify its interest to distribute two of the artiste’s Extended Play albums, Maff and his team still connived to deceive and defraud Tunesbid by entering into a contractual agreement they had no intention of honouring with the label.
“These efforts attracted the attention of international distribution companies, including Empire Distribution, who subsequently offered a deal to distribute two EPs for the artiste, with an option for an LP album. As part of this agreement, Empire Distribution also agreed to make an upfront payment to Tunesbid Limited. The contract details with Empire were finalised with documents sent to Tunesbid Limited for onward execution.
However, unbeknownst to the label, Ayo Maff and his management team—Oyefeso Oluwamayowa Olumide, Okolie Arnold Chiedu and Oyefeso Ayotunde—had cunningly connived to deceive and defraud Tunesbid by entering into a contractual agreement with the label which they had no intention of honouring.
And, in a swift unravelling of their true fraudulent intents, the artiste and his management refused to sign the music distribution contract, having gone behind the label to hold separate meetings and discussions with representatives of Empire Distribution. The label, in the course of the aforementioned ongoing discussions/negotiations and following pressured requests from the artiste’s management, had proceeded to finance the recording of songs that would be released as the first Extended Play project under the contract with Empire Distribution,” it read.
The label CEO further noted that the artiste and his management eventually wrote letters (dated May 17, 2024, and May 30, 2024) expressing their intention to breach the contract less than six months after signing.
Precious concluded by saying that its legal team has since been called upon to ensure the artist faces the consequence of his blatant breach of contract.
“The label made several efforts through mediation and formal communications in a bid to resolve this contract breach amicably, but it quickly became evident that neither the artiste nor his management had any interest in peaceful resolution. As a result, Tunesbid Limited instructed its legal team, led by Zaeda Oracle, to begin exploring legal avenues to address this blatant breach of contract.
We wish to make it clear to the public that Ayo Maff is still bound by an existing contract with Tunesbid Limited and that any representation to the contrary should be duly regarded as invalid and false. More so, any and every individual and/or entity that relates with or enters into a contractual, commercial, or collaborative agreement/contract/partnership with Ayo Maff or OceanStreet Creative Limited (parading themselves as the management of the artiste), do so at their own risk and will face the prospect of legal actions. Ergo, we would like to advise every show promoter/entertainment company who have previously or are currently participating with Ayo Maff and his management team in organising any artiste tours, shows or events to immediately desist from any such illegal association or face the risk of legal actions from Tunesbid Limited,” it added.
