Warner Music Demands German Police Force To Pay Up For MasterKG’s “Jerusalema” Videos

Warner Music Demands German Police Force To Pay Up For MasterKG’s “Jerusalema” Videos. Jerusalema hit song by MasteKG featuring Nomcebo has now caused a stir after gaining so much national and international recognition. This comes after the German state said it was forced to pay out for licence fees to Warner Music after several police forces took part in the “Jerusalema” viral dance challenge.

Warner Music, which owns the rights to the song, has been calling on a number of organisations in the country to pay up after they used the song to participate in the #JerusalemaChallenge. It has now written to many of these organisations in Germany demanding licence fees amounting to several thousand euros in some cases. The interior ministry for Germany’s state ‘North Rhine-Westphalia’ said: that it had “settled claims from Warner Music on behalf of several police forces” in the region. A spokesman for Duesseldorf University Hospital in Germany, said it also received an email from Warner Music and had since taken down its video.

Warner Music sparked criticism on their Facebook page on Monday, with many users accusing the label of “shabby behaviour”. One social media wrote: “You should donate the additional income you now receive… at least the money you get from the fire brigades, police stations, etc.”

However, the label has defended its actions saying: “We love the fact that the fans are getting behind Jerusalema. But if organisations in Germany use the song to promote themselves, we think they should secure a dubbing licence. In these difficult times, it is more important than ever that artists and performers are paid for their music when it is used by third parties to enhance their reputation.”