Anita Baker Tells Fans To Not Buy Her Music Until She Regains Rights To Her Masters

Photo Courtesy of Anita Baker/ Twitter

R&B songstress Anita Baker isn’t playing around when it comes to her artistry and legacy.

Last week, the Detroit native posted on Twitter that she’s overdue for the rights to her work, and she asked her fans not to purchase her music.

“Miraculously, I have out-lived *ALL, of my artist’s contracts.

They no longer “Own,” My Name & Likeness. 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 Don’t advertise/buy them ABXO.”

Fans showed up and out for Baker.

Baker is an eight-time Grammy Award-winner with an illustrious career spanning four decades. The contralto has ten solo albums total, including six studio albums with hits like “Giving You The Best That I Got,” “You Bring Me Joy,” “ You Belong To Me,” and “Body and Soul.”

Her first album ever distributed was with a Detroit-based band called Chapter 8 in 1979. Baker’s standout vocals on “I Just Wanna Be Your Girl” made the group’s single an instant hit.

The 63-year-old singer’s masters can lawfully be transferred back to her, but most record companies do not do so willingly. A legal stipulation defined in the Copyright Revision Act of 1976 stated that an artist with albums released after January 1, 1978, can submit paperwork to reclaim ownership of their masters and music copyrights after 35 years.

Although musicians and singers should own their music outright, there is no financial benefit for the record company to give recording artists their music freely– hence the legal battle.

According to Reuters, singer legend, Ray Charles was the first Black artist to own his masters, but he negotiated the clause into his contract with Atlantic Records during the 1960s.

Other artists who have possession of their master recordings include Rihanna, Jay-Z, Ciara, Frank Ocean, 21 Savage, Chance The Rapper and LL Cool J, to name a few.