Anita Baker Is Fighting For Her Masters, Asks Fans Not To Buy Or Stream Music
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Anita Baker Is Fighting For Her Masters, Asks Fans Not To Buy Or Stream Music
Anita Baker shared on Twitter that she's fighting for her masters.
On Sunday afternoon, Anita Baker took to Twitter asking fans not to buy or stream her music as she prepares to fight for her masters.
\u201c\ud83c\udf81Miraculously... i have out-lived *ALL, of my Artists Contracts\ud83c\udf88 They no longer "Own", My Name & Likeness. And, by Law...30 yr old, Mstrs are 2B Returned, 2 Me\ud83c\udfbc Unfortunately, They're gonna make me Fight 4 it. I'm Prepared, 2 do that. Please Dont advertise/buy them ABXO\ud83c\udf88\ud83d\udc93\u201d— Anita Baker (@Anita Baker) 1615322920
The singer pointed out that she has outlived all of her artist contracts and, by law, her 30-year-old masters should be returned to her. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case, with Baker going on to say that the labels are "gonna make me Fight 4 it."
As Yahoo! News noted, Baker is referencing copyright reversion which, according to the Future of Music Coalition, allows the author of the composition copyright and the sounnd recording copyright to "reclaim the copyrights to their original creations after a period of 35 years." The website for the Coalition also breaks down how arduous of a process getting one's masters back can be, showing how Baker's fight won't probably end immediately.
Baker has eight albums: seven are studio albums, and one is a live album. The majority 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. The label also re-released her debut album, The Songstress, in 1991, after Elektra purchased the rights for the album from Beverly Glen Music, the label that originally released Baker's debut album in 1983. Elektra is owned by Warner Music Group; in 1996, Baker signed a deal to Atlantic — another label under Warner — after being unhappy with how Elektra promoted Rhythm of Love. Her last two albums, My Everything (2004) and Christmas Fantasy (2005), were released on Blue Note.
