Buju Banton was one of many local Jamaican musicians rumored to have sold their music catalog for an undisclosed amount. Gargamel had an opportunity to address the speculations head on but opted to share his views on artists selling their masters instead.
The veteran artist was recently asked about selling his catalog. Still, he appeared to beat around the bushes giving a definitive answer about his music publishing and only shared that he viewed the selling of one’s catalog in a positive light.
“It is a part of the music industry, it’s a part of the business because this is the only industry that doesn’t come with a pension,” he told Anthony Miller of Entertainment Report, ER. “So it is incumbent on every entertainer to understand what you are doing, the value of what you are doing and work to create a value around what you are doing.”
Buju Banton was speaking at the launch of the “Intimate” show held at the ROK hotel in Downtown Kingston.
The event will be held on January 1, 2023, and he will headline alongside Beres Hammond. At the event, Buju Banton spoke about performing with Beres for the first time in three years.
“We’re trying to make a concert that is intricately produced that one can feel that essence and that spirit of togetherness because it’s not about us. It has never been about us, we are mere vessels that transport a message to the masses. So I don’t want it to be about me,” he said.
Buju Banton released 11 studio albums since the beginning of his recording career in 1992, starting with ‘Stamina Daddy.’
The artist has also seen immense success with his career despite a period of incarceration for drugs in the United States. Most of his music has also been commercially successful with many featuring on the Billboard hip hop, reggae, and Indie charts in the United States and the UK.
After being released from jail, the Grammy-winning Jamaican singer released his project “Country for Sale.”
Despite backlash from the controversy regarding his youngest daughter Abihail Myrie and his comments about Covid-19 and his anti-vaccination stance, the artist appears to be making strides with his NFTs and other ventures.
Several overseas music icons have in recent years sold their catalogs and pocketed millions of dollars. Sting, who recently released a collaborative project with Shaggy, sold his songwriting catalog to Universal Music Group for a reported $300 million. Rapper Future sold a portion of his catalog for a reported $75 million.
