Ghanaian musician and businessman, D-Black is not enthused about how the Ghanaian music industry is being managed.
This, he says, has resulted in many musicians exiting the showbiz scene poor.
According to D-Black, the various institutions set up to seek the welfare of artistes are reneging on their responsibilities and refusing to be accountable for their stewardship.
He stated that, “MUSIGA as a body is in court. There’s no leader. It’s just a mess. I feel like those systems need to be put in place to overlook the rights of Ghanaian creatives not only in the music scene but also in the movie industry as well.”
Speaking to Amelley Djosu on Joy Prime’s Celeb Biz Saturday, the “Enjoyment” hit-maker described the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) and the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) as terrible.
“If I’m to speak bluntly, I will say that the structures that are in place for our music industry are terrible. GHAMRO is a terrible organisation. There’s no accountability. I don’t know how much I’ve made from GHAMRO in my 13 years in the music industry.”
“They’ve attempted to [pay me royalty], but there’s no accountability. You can’t tell me this is what we’re giving everybody. It doesn’t make any sense. When we receive our royalties outside of the country, we get a report. In New Zealand, the song played 77 times between the months of May and August on Spotify. All these data are there,” he said.
The businessman added that a number of right-collection agencies are willing to assist Ghana in setting up a proper scheme to disburse royalties, but GHAMRO has refused to work with them.
The CEO of Black Avenue called on the government to, as a matter of urgency, address the pertinent issues plaguing the creative industry in Ghana.
D-Black is of the strongest view that the government has over the years made several empty promises to help the ailing entertainment industry, and it is high time those pledges were fulfilled.
He further told the host, Amelley Djosu, that the world’s eye is on Ghana, and the government must leverage the opportunity by making strategic investments in the sector.
Desmond Kwesi Blackmore also expressed concern about the inability of artiste managers in the country to appreciate the nuances and dynamics of the music business.
He, however, encouraged his colleague musicians and artiste managers to read widely and be abreast of changing times in order to remain relevant and profitable in the showbiz industry.
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