Instrumentalist Kwame Yeboah warns of collapse of Ghana's music industry if...
Celebrated Ghanaian Music Director and multi-instrumentalist, Kwame Yeboah, says until the right people are hired to manage the country’s music industry, it might eventually collapse.
He explained that the country’s music industry has no structure, making it difficult to operate effectively and efficiently. This he believes also hinders the progression and development of artistes.
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He said currently musicians who have numerous works to their credit barely make anything from the Ghanaian music industry as the system for claiming royalties was deeply flawed.
“I have other systems which I get paid from but I don’t get any money or airplay from Ghana which is not good," Yeboah said.
"How about the others who have no other streams or systems they make money from? We all need to make some returns and it is high time a system is out in place in Ghana to ensure that.”
Relating the situation to the royalty system in the United Kingdom (UK), he said every corner bar pays a little for playing songs of artistes elsewhere.
“If any bar was paying a cedi whenever they play music, artistes could earn something for their development. They can make enough to produce high quality music instead of always going to the same small place and suffering criticism for producing bad sound as compared to Beyoncé etc.”
Because all these measures have not been instituted, Kwame Yeboah insists “the entire system has not been enabled to function effectively, hence becoming a ticking time bomb which will one day crash and burn.”
He advised musical bodies to put in place monitoring systems to monitor bars, radio stations and outlets who use the works of artistes for commercial purposes.
