'Playing your song, dancing to it at political party rally doesn't require compensation' — Sidney schools DJ Azonto

Hiplife icon Barima Sidney, of African Money fame, has stated that Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will not pay his colleague DJ Azonto for dancing to his hit song ‘Fa No Fom’ during a campaign.

DJ Azonto, in a statement, demanded that Vice President Dr. Bawumia pay him $10 million after he danced to 'Fa No Fom' at his political rally some weeks ago.

DJ Azonto and his management have accused Dr. Bawumia of using his track ‘Fa No Fom’ during a campaign trip to Nalerigu, in the North East Region without approval.

In a statement shared on his social media handles, the Rolls Royce Family said the action of the Vice President and his team infringes on DJ Azonto’s intellectual property rights and is demanding compensation of $10 million.

“This unauthorised use of our artist’s property for campaign purposes is unacceptable,” the management stated, adding that it also disregards the efforts put into making the song.

But Barima Sidney, in a interview with Property FM in Cape Coast, stated that the claim from Azonto is just a dream, adding that he (Azonto) believes he will not receive any compensation from the Vice President.

The hiplife legend explained, “When a political party is doing a rally and they play your song on the platform while dancing to it, our law doesn't say that they must pay you for it.

“Because it's a song you've already released in the public domain, it's like your song being played at someone's birthday party and you asking for monetary compensation.

“But when they take the song and cut it by using it for an advert and place it on TV or radio jingle after sampling bits of it, as for that one, my lawyer told me they'd have to pay for using your song,” he stated.

Barima Sidney explained, stressing that, “If they use it for advertising you can sue them, but playing your song and dancing to it at a political party rally doesn't require compensation according to our copyright laws.”