What exactly happened to Runtown Mr mad over you??

Runtown signed a deal with Eric Many Entertainment, things initially looked like they were working.He already had Gallardo with Davido, and the partnership appeared to be moving his career forward. Then came “Mad Over You”, one of the biggest songs of his career, followed by “For Life.”It looked like the perfect record deal story.An artiste signs a label.The label invests.The artiste releases hits.Everybody wins.But then the relationship between Runtown and Eric Many became a legal battle.By 2016, the two parties were already fighting over the terms and operation of their contract. Runtown sought to leave the deal, while Eric Many maintained that he remained contractually bound. The dispute eventually went through several court proceedings. In July 2026, about a decade after the dispute began, an Abuja High Court ruled that Runtown's 2016 recording agreement with Eric Many was still valid because it had not been lawfully terminated.The court ordered Runtown to pay ₦266.7 million representing the label's unrecovered investment and expenses under the contract, plus ₦50 million in damages and ₦3 million in legal costs. Runtown has since rejected the ruling publicly and said he would not give Eric Many access to his catalogue. Now, I'm not using Runtown's story to say record deals are bad.I'm using it to show you something very important:A record deal can look successful on the outside and still become a serious problem when the relationship and contract go wrong.And this is why I always tell upcoming artistes:DON'T JUMP INTO A RECORD DEAL BECAUSE YOU'RE DESPERATE TO BECOME POPULAR. Some artistes sign record deals and their careers end there. Not because record deals are bad, but because the deal wasn't the solution they thought it would be. Here are some reasons this happens: 1. THE LABEL DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO PROMOTE THE ARTISTE Some record-label CEOs are simply music lovers who haven't fully understood the business side of running a record label. They may have enough money to sign an artiste, but not enough money to properly develop, market and promote that artiste to the level they expect. Signing you is not the same as investing in your career. 2. THE LABEL LOSES PATIENCE The label starts spending money on the artiste but doesn't see the expected results quickly. Then doubt starts creeping in. “We've spent this much already, where are the results?” This is usually a combination of poor planning and impatience. Music development takes time, and not every investment produces an immediate return. 3. THE ARTISTE BECOMES TOO COMFORTABLE Sometimes the artiste finally gets the things they've always wanted. Better accommodation. Better clothes. A car. Financial support. And because some of the pressure that motivated them before the deal has disappeared, the hunger to work becomes weaker. The artiste starts enjoying the benefits of the deal without putting in the work required to make the deal successful. I will never say record deals are bad. But it is much better when you can build some value for yourself before signing. When a label approaches you because of your brand, audience, catalogue and reputation, you're negotiating from a position of strength. That's different from signing because you're an unknown artiste who desperately needs someone to make you popular. Although getting to that level as an independent artiste is very difficult, especially because music promotion is expensive, it should still be the goal. And if you are an upcoming artiste and you're considering signing a record deal, don't sign alone. Get an entertainment lawyer or a music business professional who can help you understand and negotiate the agreement.

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