Labels don’t always own an artist’s master recordings (music rights) anymore, some artists now license their music to labels instead of signing it away.
This means that instead of permanently selling their masters (like older contracts used to demand), artists now rent out their music rights to labels for a set period (say, 5–10 years). The label handles marketing and distribution, but once the deal expires, the artist gets full ownership back.
This is evident in how Olamide’s YBNL has signed several licensing deals, including his partnership with Empire, which lets him and his signees (like Fireboy DML and Asake) keep ownership while enjoying global distribution.
It’s a new era, and this is a testament to the fact that for artists, exposure is not enough, equity also matters.