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Makhadzi receives industry support as Open Mic gives her deadline to apologise
Singer Makhadzi has received support from creatives in the industry as she tussles with record label Open Mic Productions over contractual disagreements.
Picture: Twitter @makhadzi twitter
Mkhadzi’s ongoing fight with record label Open Mic Productions over contractual differences has sparked a sense of solidarity from some of her peers in the industry.
Whether actors or fellow music artists, it’s clear that most in the creative community sympathise with her, all this while the record label waits for her to apologise for the claims she’s made against the label.
Makhadzi receiving support
Eccentric artist Moonchild Sanelly was one of the people supporting Makhadzi on social media.
“Sending my love to Makhadzi. You’ve got this boo. They cleaned out my millions in SA & I just bought a house having started from scratch again. You’re the money! Always remember that! You’ll be ok baby; it’s gonna be a chapter in your best-selling book of life. Let them laugh,” wrote Moonchild.
Thespian Nambitha Mpumlwana also encouraged the singer for fighting for her rights.
“You are so brave Makhadzi for fighting for your due! I am very proud of you,” the seasoned actress wrote on Twitter.
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Another music artist @REALPAIGESA also came out to not only backup Makhadzi’s claims, but also share her disgruntlement about how she has been treated by Open Mic Productions.
The singer’s cries seem to have fallen on fertile ground as it seems like Gardee Godrich Attorneys will be assisting her with her dispute with Open Mic Productions.
A toxic end to a relationship
On 2 May, Makhadzi (whose real name is Ndivhudzannyi Ralivhona) released a statement in which she declared that her working relationship with Open Mic Productions has ended.
A few days after this, she went on Twitter to claim the record company has been treating her like a slave in a thread of tweets.
On Saturday, Makhadzi shared a Renewal of Management agreement document sent to her by Open Mic, which states that their working relationship has been extended for a further three years.
The day before that, Makhadzi had released a new single titled Niazwifha under her own record label, Makhadzi Entertainment, but the video has since been taken down by YouTube because of a copyright claim made by Open Mic Productions.
Open Mic’s renewal of the contract
Open Mic silently confident
Speaking to the Sunday World, Open Mic spokesperson Nkateko Maluleke said the Ma Yellowbone singer is still signed under the stable.
“We are sitting with a valid contract, so we won’t be issuing a similar statement. She’s still on contract with Open Mic,” said Maluleke.
“It [the contract] was an auto renewal, so people get excited and sensationalise, that is why I have taken up a position not to engage publicly but rather stick to what we have on record.
“An auto-renewable contract means when the expiry time comes, it automatically renews until the record label decides not to renew. It renews with a similar period as the initial contract, and she has a letter confirming renewal.”
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Also as a way of disputing Makhadzi’s claims of not being paid in the last few years, the record label through their lawyers shared proof of payments they made to the hit-maker.
The proof of payment documents, which The Citizen has seen, shows how Open Mic made numerous payments that amount to R7 956 084.86 and a further R300 000.
Payment of the latter is stated to have been made in September 2021, while the amount just below R8 million was made up of a number of payments that range from R20 000 to a million rand.
Together with the proof of payment sent out this week, the label also demanded that Makhadzi withdraw the claims she made, giving her until Friday, 12 May.
But also as a show of defiance from the singer, yesterday she shared to her followers on Twitter that her new project, Auto renewal EP, is loading and will come out under her label.
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