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Comedy Store CEO Alex Muhangi has shed more light on the unfolding legal battle between him and singer Bebe Cool, over copyright infringement.
The hearing of the case kicked off today, Wednesday, March 19, at City Hall in Kampala.
It revolves around allegations made by Bebe Cool that Muhangi posted videos of his performances on the Comedy Store platform without his consent.
Speaking to the media ahead of the court, Muhangi sought to make several clarifications.
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Clarification on Booking and Payment Issues
He started by addressing the genesis of the clash which he blamed on Bebe Cool.
The Gagamel Entertainment boss, according to Muhangi, had agreed to a payment of Shs 6 million to perform at Comedy Store.
However, when the artist arrived, there was confusion about the payment.
I was surprised when Bebe Cool arrived and started demanding his money at the parking lot. I called my team to inquire, and they informed me that they only had Shs 5 million in cash.
To resolve the situation, Muhangi instructed his team to pay the Shs 5 million and promised to top up the remainder via Mobile Money. Unfortunately, the singer left without performing, leading to a public fallout.
The Issue of YouTube Monetisation
Regarding Bebe Cool’s claims that Muhangi was earning from previous videos of his performances posted on YouTube, Muhangi clarified that Comedy Store posts videos of performances for promotional purposes, and the content is not monetised on YouTube.
It is impossible to monetise the content as long as it contains someone else’s music. That is simply how YouTube operates. I cannot earn even a single penny from content featuring Bebe Cool’s music
Bebe Cool should be thankful that whenever we post his content, it drives engagement on his channels
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Terms and conditions
Muhangi further revealed that all performers at Comedy Store are briefed in advance about rights over their contents.
What people should understand is that when we invite an artist to perform at Comedy Store, we record both video and audio content. The content we capture is ours, and we are free to use it as we see fit.
Once we post any content featuring Bebe Cool or another artist on our social media or YouTube, it is only for promotional purposes.
He also mentioned that there are clear terms in place for artists, with a large banner at the venue outlining the conditions for recording and using content.