Yema Production
Locko's own Cameroonian record label, founded in 2017; now the rights-holding entity licensing his catalogue to Sony Music Africa.
- Based in
- Douala/Yaounde (not precisely established), Cameroon
- Founded
- 2017
- Founder
- Locko (Charles Arthur Locko Samba)
Yema Production is a Cameroonian record label created in 2017 by singer Locko (Charles Arthur Locko Samba) as his own imprint. It is an artist-owned vehicle rather than a third-party label: African Music Library’s own profile states it was “Created in 2017 by LOCKO” and lists his artists as himself, One (One_official237) and Oji Kasanova.
Phonogram credits on Apple Music and Deezer show Yema Production as the standalone rights holder on Locko’s catalogue between his split from Universal Music Africa in March 2022 and his Sony Music Africa/Columbia Records France signing, announced 27 February 2023. From March 2023, releases carry the credit “Yema Production Under Exclusive License to Sony Music Entertainment Africa FR,” meaning Yema now functions as the master-rights entity licensing Locko’s recordings to Sony’s Sony Music Afrique Francophone imprint rather than an independent label pushing its own distribution. No Cameroonian company register exists to confirm Yema Production’s incorporation or legal form.
No standalone company website was located; Yema Production’s presence runs through Locko’s own artist and label pages on streaming platforms. It matters as the ownership hinge in Locko’s catalogue: it is the entity that actually holds the masters, with Sony as licensee rather than owner, which sets Locko apart from artists who sign their masters directly to a major.