“Brain Jotter Owes Mike Ejeagha Nothing; The Song Did Not Make Brain Jotter Go Viral, Rather The Skit Maker Was The One That Made The Song Go Viral” — Tech Expert, Kelvin Alaneme Wades In
In his words: “I think a lot of the hullabaloo about Brain Jotter and Mike Ejeagha stems from people not understanding the difference between ‘sampling a song’, ‘remaking a song’ and ‘fair use of a song.’
Brian Jotter DID NOT remake Mike Ejeagha’s song or sample it to create his own song. This is the only situation that would have warranted taking permission from the original owner of the copyright.
Remember when Shallipopi sampled Pa Monday-Edo’s song ‘Ogbaisi’ in ‘Oba Pluto’? Initially, he didn’t seek permission but eventually resolved it with Pa Monday appearing in the official video of the song.
Now, when you sample a song, the original owner of the copyright gets a portion of the royalties from the new creation – which is based on their existing creation.
Toni Braxton gets 60% of the royalties from Burna Boy’s ‘Last Last’ which sampled her song ‘He wasn’t Man Enough’. Burna said this himself and I have shared the video in the first comment. On some rare occasions, the artiste who owns the original song can just give their permission for sampling or remaking without demanding royalties.
What Brain Jotter did was ‘fair use of a song’. You can use songs fairly when they have been uploaded on these social media (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat). These platforms besides being social media are also distribution channels for music just like Apple Music and Spotify.
Any music used on any of these platforms generates revenue for the owner of that song’s copyright – typically the person who uploaded it to these platforms.
This is why OWNERSHIP is very important. The person who owns the copyright- most of the time, the record label – bears the financial risks and reaps the financial benefits. For every Rema that blows, there are several artistes the label pumped money into their careers but just made losses.
Now, for some of the legends, their record label or any other person who uploaded these songs benefits anytime the song is used. Whether the money enters Mike Ejeagha’s pocket is a different matter. If it was his label that uploaded it in the first place, they should have a royalty-sharing arrangement from which he gets a cut. If it wasn’t his label that uploaded it, then, it is very unfortunate. His people should re-upload the original versions and fight to have other versions taken down. But, that one no concern Brain Jotter.
I am speaking on this because Brain Jotter has done something noble. He should be commended and not vilified. How many times have you sought out creators of the music you use on your stories and video contents to give them gifts?
In the eyes of the law, Brain Jotter owes Mike Ejeagha nothing. Gratitude, maybe, just as we appreciate creatives who have blessed us with their works. However he decides to express this gratitude – whether by giving cash gifts or whatever – is up to him.
The money Brain Jotter makes off his page is from his monetised content on all platforms, not from Mike Ejeagha. The song did not make him go viral rather it is the other way around – Brain Jotter made the song go viral. Brain Jotter has had tons of viral contents for years now. He is not the only one to use that song on their post or videos. But he made it go viral in 2024 – 41 years after the song was released! If you are in the music business, you will know how hard this is to do. And how hard it is to actually do it with a song released in the 80s. Record labels spend N50-100m just to get this kind of buzz.
Now, Mike Ejeagha is a legend. He does not need Brain Jotter or PR to cement his legendary status. That said, this trend exposed his music to a new demographic – the Gen Zs and millennials who may not have heard his sound. And this is due to the power of good music combined with a simple but engaging dance routine which Brain Jotter popularised.
Brain Jotter did not make Mike Ejeagha popular. The Gentleman was popular nationwide. However, Brain Jotter made him MORE POPULAR, IN THIS ERA. This is the simple truth.
I hope this provides some clarification. Having owned a record label since 2016, I know a thing or two about music distribution.
Huge Congratulations to Mike Ejeagha! Having a career resurgence at 94 is a big feat. Special thanks to Brain Jotter and the millions of people who connected with the music.
Udo. 
