Ghanaian US-based investor and event planner, Nana Gyimah, has bemoaned the lack of official contracts between most Ghanaian musicians and their managers.
According to him, this was one of the biggest challenges during his Ghana to the World Concert that took place in the USA last year.
He explained that, most of the musicians have not structured their craft professionally, hence it becomes difficult when you have to sign a contract with them.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z with George Quaye, Mr Gyimah said he never blamed artistes for such misappropriations, but he realised they should also be partially blamed.
“I used to say it’s not the issue of the artiste, but with time I have got to know. In every job, you do, you need to surround yourself with professional people who know the job, not people learning what you are also learning.”
“This limits artistes, and some don’t even know how contracts work. If you ask most artistes if they have contracts with their managers, about 80 per cent of them will be like no.”
According to the Chief Executive Officer and President of Inside LLC, New Jersey’s premier full-service business management and consulting company, Mr Gyimah, the reason “we don’t acknowledge such issues is that Ghana is like a hub. Everyone knows everyone and they think they are friends.”
He said, unlike Nigerians who pay mind to the business side first, it’s only a few Ghanaian artistes that have been able to structure their team professionally to put themselves on the map.
According to Mr Gyimah, Nigeria projected more than seven of their musicians into the limelight in less than a year, yet Ghanaians are struggling to make it up in the diaspora’s sphere.
“With those who have a team, you see them. We have about seven artistes who were discovered this year in Nigeria. They all have global presence. How many can we count for our people? The same people headlining five years ago are still heading in Ghana… just a few heads. If you have … it is happening in sports and other sectors too,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Gyimah has urged Ghanaians, especially those in the diaspora to gear up for the part two of the Ghana to the World Concert, which has many A-list Ghanaian artistes and entertainers billed on November 6, 2022 in the USA.
Check out the interview below: