Departed Fuji music legend, Dr Sikiru Ayinde Barrister
A digital music copyright and licensing company, Digital Music Commerce and Exchange Ltd (DMCE), has clarified the status of the management and protection of the musical works of the departed Fuji music legend, Dr Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, following a recent conversation sparked by the removal of a documentary about the singer from YouTube.
The clarification came after Saheed Aderinto, a Professor of History and African and African Diaspora Studies at Florida International University, United States, revealed that the first episode of his Fuji documentary series titled Mr. Fuji: Barry Wonder had been taken down from YouTube over copyright infringement.
The professor had earlier, on his LinkedIn page, announced the release of the non-commercial documentary aimed at advancing academic knowledge and public access.
However, barely a day after its upload, Prof Aderinto noted in a follow-up post that the project had suffered a setback due to what he described as “disagreement within the family of Sikiru Ayinde Barrister.”
The development has, however, continued to spark debate among Fuji music lovers over the handling of the late Fuji pioneer’s catalogue.
In his own submission, an X user, @TheYemiKing, while praising the documentary as “another fantastic job” by Prof Aderinto, expressed disappointment over the circumstances that led to its removal.
Drawing a metaphor from property management, he likened the situation to a family appointing a company to manage an estate while some members still insist on collecting rents directly or granting access to the estate without recourse to the appointed estate management company.
He urged the professor to reconcile with the publishing rights company, warning that dealing with dissenting family members outside the formal structure would not yield proper licensing.
Also in his own submission, a Lagos-based writer, Jide Taiwo, wrote an article titled Of Departed Icons and Enduring Legacies: Why the Music Must Be Protected, in which he acknowledged the role of Sony Music Publishing Nigeria in partnering with Barrister’s estate.
Taiwo noted that until recently, the departed musician’s body of work had not enjoyed a clearly coordinated management structure, despite efforts during his lifetime to retain ownership of his music through his own labels and publishers.
Reacting to the article in a statement, DMCE, the copyright company in charge of managing and protecting Barrister’s musical works and legacy, clarified that there had been active and ongoing management of his works even before the Sony Music Publishing deal.
According to the firm, it played a key role in initiating and facilitating the collaboration with Sony Music Publishing, and the estate continues to benefit from the monetisation of the late musician’s works under its guidance.
DMCE further noted that its management of Barrister’s catalogue includes proper sample clearance for modern releases. These include clearances for tracks like FirstKlaz’s Gen-Z Fuji, Zinoleesky’s Fuji Garbage, Falz’s No Less, as well as songs by Barry Jhay and Barryshowkey.
The firm emphasised that these efforts reflect a sustained commitment to preserving Barrister’s legacy and ensuring that the estate continues to derive value from his influential body of work.
The statement reads: “It appears there might be some misconceptions regarding the management and protection of the late Chief (Dr.) Sikiru Ayinde Barrister’s (MFR) musical works. We want to provide clarity on this.
“Long before and since the partnership with Sony Music Publishing Nigeria, @DigitalMusicCE, led by @ChairmanCKG, has been actively and diligently managing and protecting Barrister’s musical works and legacy.
“In fact, we played a pivotal role in facilitating the collaboration with Sony Music Publishing Nigeria.
“It is important to understand that Barrister’s Estate is significantly benefiting from the monetization of his works, a process we’ve actively managed.
“Our commitment to protecting Barrister’s works extends to ensuring proper clearance for samples used in new music releases. For instance, we successfully cleared the samples for FirstKlaz’s “Gen-Z Fuji”, Zinoleesky’s “Fuji Garbage”, Falz’s “No Less,” and many yet to be released works demonstrating our ongoing efforts to uphold the integrity of his musical catalog.
“Interestingly, we also managed the clearance of Barrister’s samples in Barry Jhay and Barryshowkey’s recent releases, further demonstrating our ongoing involvement and comprehensive management of his catalogue. Our commitment remains to ensure Barrister’s legacy is protected and continues to generate value for his Estate.”
Barrister, who passed away in 2010, is widely regarded as the creator of Fuji music, a genre that has influenced generations of artistes since the 1960s.
Tribune
