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Questionmark's Boss speaks on Asa |
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Written by News Hound
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Friday, 26 October 2007 |
 Kevin Lucciano
Awards winning producer Cobams is the greatest beneficiary of them all. Cobams had a publishing contract with QuestionMark as writer and a producer. At the end of the day, Questionmark got a deal with Sonny from the UK for Cobams.
According to Lucciano, Sony signed him directly and that left QuestionMark with the management of Cobams.
Award winning Rapper; Mode 9 is equally under this label. And most recently D’accord, the group that won the last edition of Star Quest Contest, is with QuestionMark. It is to the credit of this company that Nigerian Breweries found the label worthy of handling the affairs of this awesome group.
But at what point in his career did Lucciano decide to set up a record label in Nigeria? “It was Asa that made me do it.” he said “A young man called Cobams actually came to my boys’ quarters to do a song. And one day he came again to do a song with Asa.
That morning, I heard a very lovely voice. I came downstairs and I commended her for her unique and captivating voice. Along the line her friend Janet convinced me to take up Asa’s career. I gave it a thought and said why not. There and then I decided to set up a record label.”
According to him, setting up a record label is not a straight boulevard strewed with roses. It has not been easy for him and he has got scars to show for it.
“It has been a struggle all the way. But I foresee an end to the struggle by the grace of Almighty God. It has been quite rough but I will overcome.”
Part of the problem facing the company he says, is the mischievous high spirit of some of the artiste under his label. “Some of them have been into many disparate incidents that will lead to nowhere. They do not want to be patient enough to wait for the seed they planted to grow.” Kevin said our artiste must understand the business aspect of the entertainment industry. And stated that most of our musicians do not understand the principle of sowing and reaping. “A typical Nigerian artiste wants to start living big immediately his work is out in the market.
As an entrepreneur, I’m not even in a hurry. I know that I’m investing in a product which I must continue pushing until we both arrive. Why would I want to spend money on you if I don’t want to make money from you? That is what they need to understand. It takes time. There are some products that will not sell. There are some products that will sell. There are some products that will sell if you continue pushing it. So we need to get production right. Our artistes need to get the right orientation.”
On his widely publicized misunderstanding with Asa, Kevin disclosed that the young musician was ill-advised and hasty in the decisions she took.
According to him, Asa was assisted in an unimaginable way by Questionmark. To him, the success story wouldn’t have been possible if not for Questionmark. His label was behind all those beautifully refined performances of Asa. Kevin gave a witty detail of what transpired between Questionmark and Asa. “I’m going to be very honest with you. I’m one of Asa greatest fans in the world. That was the reason why I decided to even work with her. I love her music. I tried as much as possible to satisfy her as an artiste. But I’m not perfect. I’m human after all.
Personally, I think all that we promised Asa in a contract, we fulfilled. But she hasn’t given us what she promised us. I don’t know what gets her goat. She hasn’t told me where I went wrong.”
The Questionmark boss revealed that all attempts by him to resolve the problem have failed. “I have called Cobams many times and pleaded with him to set up a meeting between me and Asa, nothing came out of it. I have also called Asa personally. QuestionMark contributed a great deal to the success of Asa. She was here before QuestionMark. But QuestionMark and Asa together made a huge impact.” This problem he revealed explains why Asa’s album has not been released.
Kevin said that there was no court injunction restraining him from releasing the work. Rather, he is just waiting patiently for the conflict to be resolved. “I am waiting to see if we can resolve the conflict so that the release will be proper. I don’t want to release it in an atmosphere of recrimination. I am a business man. I need to also recoup my money that I spend on Asa .I am also a very patient man. I am waiting for reconciliation. I am open to communication. Asa, Cobams and I have slept in the same house before.”
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Last Updated ( Friday, 26 October 2007 )
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