This archive report was first published on 26 October 2019.
Published on October 26, 2019, Nairobi News reported that Bongo flava artiste Harmonize was struggling to exit Wasafi Records due to a Sh24 million exit clause in his contract.
Harmonize had signed a 15-year contract with Wasafi, but he decided to terminate it just four years later, citing a lack of value for his output. At the time of his exit, he was the second highest income generator at WCB after Diamond.
According to Harmonize, the exit clause required him to pay Sh24 million if he wanted to leave the label prematurely. If he failed to pay, Wasafi would retain the copyrights to all his songs recorded under the label.
Harmonize was forced to sell three of his uncompleted houses and parcels of land to raise the money needed to pay off the exit clause.
“…katika mkataba kuliwekwa kwamba nikitaka kuterminate contract natakiwa nilipe pesa za Kitanzania milioni 500 lakini pia na gharama za utengenezaji nyimbo zote ambazo zimetengenezwa wakati niko pale. Kiukweli sikuwa na hiyo milioni 500 ya kulipa so nikauza baadhi ya assets zangu, kuna sehemu nilikuwa najenga nyumba zilikuwa kama tatu ikabidi niziuze site, kuna sehemu zingine nikauza so tuko kwenye process hiyo ya kulipa,” Harmonize explained.
