Nollywood can no longer use afrobeats songs without license, says filmmaker

Filmmaker Apampa Oluwadamilola, widely recognized as Dami Twitch, has stated that Nollywood producers can no longer use Afrobeats songs in their productions without securing proper licensing. This shift, he explained in a recent episode of the Afropolitan podcast, is largely due to the increasing number of Afrobeats artists entering into publishing and distribution agreements with international companies.

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I think because people have sold their song already. So it gets to a point where I want to use this song for my film, for example, but I can’t afford it because they’ve signed some distribution deal or some publishing deal with some company somewhere and you can’t even have a conversation.

Twitch noted that these deals often mean artists no longer have complete control over their music, leading to more formalized and consequently more expensive licensing processes. Consequently, many Nollywood producers find themselves unable to afford the fees required for legal song usage, especially if they lack financial backing from investors. "I think because people have sold their song already," Twitch said. "So it gets to a point where I want to use this song for my film, for example, but I can’t afford it because they’ve signed some distribution deal or some publishing deal with some company somewhere and you can’t even have a conversation."

He further elaborated that even personal connections with artists do not guarantee access to their music for film projects anymore. "Even if the person is my friend. They’ve literally gotten an advance for something. So that is a major factor in our problems because this artist don’t own the songs," Twitch explained.

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Even if the person is my friend. They’ve literally gotten an advance for something. So that is a major factor in our problems because this artist don’t own the songs.

This evolving commercial structure surrounding music rights is significantly impacting the collaboration between Nollywood and the Afrobeats music scene. Twitch warned that only large-scale productions with substantial budgets may be able to afford the licensing costs for popular tracks. "So that collaboration for now is at a very weird place. Not until if a big studio comes to support your film, you might be able to afford these songs," he added. Independent filmmakers, in particular, are feeling the pinch, as their limited funding makes meeting these new licensing requirements a significant challenge.

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So that collaboration for now is at a very weird place. Not until if a big studio comes to support your film, you might be able to afford these songs.