In a troubling development, Meraki Entertainment Nagaland is under scrutiny for failing to meet its obligations related to the singing competition “You Got The Voice Nagaland” Season 2, held on June 22, 2024. The winners of the competition, Arola Jinger (Season 2 Winner) and Susalho Ringa (Season 2 First Runners Up), have reported significant discrepancies in the prize distribution.
According to a public statement made by the winners, the ‘winner’ have not received the full amount of the prize money, and the 1st Runners up have not been paid at all and furthermore have not received the winning certificate till date as well.
Additionally, it was alleged that the promotional flyers said that the 2 winners would get 3 three-month professional courses from Clefnote Music Academy along with cover/original song recordings & professional music videos for the winners. However, the winners never received any of those privileges till date. “The competition had several title sponsors & contestants were made to sell tickets,” it added.
According to the winners, the unethical behavior is further exacerbated by the lack of response from the organization’s president, Thritong Sangtam, who has continuously ignored their queries and messages regarding the payment.
“This public announcement is necessary to shed light on the unfair & unjust treatment that we have faced & more importantly should not happen in the future events,” it added.
Stating that they possess all the necessary evidence, including screenshots and proofs, to support their claims, the winners warned that if Meraki Entertainment Nagaland fails to fulfil their financial obligations within a specified time frame, they will not hesitate to share the evidence publicly to expose their misconduct and take this matter legally as well.
They urged the Meraki Entertainment Nagaland to rectify the situation promptly and honour their commitments to the winners.
Following the public statement on their Instagram account, the comment sections were flooded with similar complaints. Among the complainants was the Season 1 winner of You Got the Voice Nagaland, who claimed she was paid late and received only Rs 25,000, despite the cash prize being advertised as Rs 50,000. According to the Season 1 winner, Meraki Entertainment stated that the Rs 50,000 was intended for all three winners: Rs 25,000 for the winner, Rs 15,000 for the runners-up, and Rs 10,000 for the best performer.
Miss Kiphire also claimed she received only half of her payment. She was supposed to receive Rs 30,000 but only got Rs 23,000. “It has already been 8 months now,” she added.
Some alleged that the winners from Dimapur and Chumoukedima also did not receive their full payments.
As the allegations continued, Meraki Entertainment addressed the issue from their official Instagram account on the comment section of the public statement, stating:
“Official Statement from Meraki Entertainment, Nagaland: We would like to address a recent clarification note regarding the payment of the remaining prize money to the winner of “You Got the Voice Nagaland’. We acknowledge that we paid Rs 30,000 initially and had committed to paying the remaining Rs. 20,000 after a month.
Unfortunately, due to our upcoming big event, we had to prioritize our finances temporarily. We never intended to defame or deceive the winner and are truly sorry for the delay.
We want to assure everyone that we will settle the remaining amount of Rs 20,000 today itself, as promised. We value our reputation and relationships with our winners and stakeholders.
We request you understanding in this matter and appreciate your continued support”.