Ami Faku takes manager and label to court over unpaid royalties
Singer Ami Faku has filed a lawsuit against her manager, Raphael Benza, and his record label, Vth Season, in the Johannesburg High Court, alleging unpaid royalties and demanding transparency in their financial dealings.
The celebrated singer is seeking a court order to compel Benza to disclose the label’s accounting records and pay outstanding royalties owed to her.
Faku, known for her chart-topping album Imali, claims Benza exploited her as a young Black female artist through unfair contracts. She alleges that royalty reports provided by Vth Season were incomplete and disorganized, obscuring her rightful earnings.
The artist further revealed she personally invested over R400,000 into producing Imali and want ownership of its master recordings.
In addition to financial redress, Faku is seeking to terminate her artist, management, and publishing agreements with Benza and Vth Season.
She accuses Benza of a pattern of targeting young Black female artists for financial gain, casting a spotlight on broader issues of fairness in the music industry.
Neither Benza nor Vth Season has publicly responded to the allegations at this time.