Music legend Anita Baker is asking her fans not to stream or download her music online as she continues to fight with her record label over her masters.
According to Baker, she has out-lived all of her recording contracts. The right to her masters should legally revert to her, citing copyright reversion, which allows musicians to retain their copyrights after 35 years.
“🎁Miraculously… i have out-lived *ALL, of my Artists Contracts🎈 They no longer “Own”, My Name & Likeness,” the soul singer tweeted.” And, by Law…30 yr old, Mstrs are 2B Returned, 2 Me🎼 Unfortunately, They’re gonna make me Fight 4 it. I’m Prepared, 2 do that. Please Dont advertise/buy them ABXO🎈💓”
According to Yahoo News, the action is not automatic. Artists still have to engage in specific steps to reclaim their rights.
“They no longer own my name and likeness. And by law, 30 year old masters are to be returned,” she wrote on social media.
She also put Spotify on blast: “Thank you for sending me your love but let’s not advertise Spotify Streaming, which is a publicly traded company with $50 million valuation but doesn’t pay artists/creators their worth.”
Baker has eight albums: seven studio albums and one live album. The bulk of her studio albums were released through Elektra, including her four platinum albums “Rapture,” “Giving You the Best That I Got,” “Compositions,” and “Rhythm of Love.”
Her albums gave us many timeless hits including, “Sweet Love” “Caught Up in The Rapture” and “Giving You The Best That I Got,” all of which were co-written by Baker.
It seems that the fight to own her own music is only just beginning…
