Nigerian musician, Davido has revealed that during the initial four years following the establishment of his record label, DMW, he refrained from taking any money from the artists under his wing.

Speaking in an interview with US media personality, Steve Stoute, the singer said that at the time he only wanted to use his fame and success as leverage to ensure other artistes achieved the same milestone he had.

He expressed strong familial connection with the label's signees, covering their expenses including accommodation, recording sessions, music video and others.

Davido stated that he decided to educate the artistes about the business side of the craft after Afrobeats began gaining global attention.

“You know my label was really more like a family to me. I was young. I was just happy putting my boy on to me, that is what it was really all about for me. I ran my label for four years, and I didn’t take one dime from my artistes."

I ran a record label for four years and i never took a dime from my artistes — Davido pic.twitter.com/5le6Lk0fuN

— Naija (@Naija_PR) October 16, 2023

"I was paying for videos, accommodation and their welfare just because I was happy seeing that my success could rub up on this person, that was money for me. But obviously, Afrobeats got to a point now where it is global. So I now have to explain to the artistes these days that this is music business. And you have to spend money to make money,” Davido said.

The ‘Unavailable’ hitmaker stated that it was important to emphasize and highlight to his DMW signees the need to treat music as a business and generate revenue for themselves and the label.

Davido established his record label, DMW, in 2016. It has served as the home to sensational music talents such as Peruzzi, Dremo, and Mayorkun, among others