Ghanaian hip-hop musician and entrepreneur, D-Black has made a bold statement – if he were to become the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, he’d dissolve music unions like Musician’s Union of Ghana(MUSIGA), Ghana Music Rights Organization (GHAMRO) and Copyrights Society of Ghana (COSGA).
In a recent interview, he noted that these organizations aren’t living up to their purpose and need a complete overhaul.
“First thing we don’t have a royalty collection society that is accountable, so I will shut down MUSIGA, GHAMRO and COSGA and restructure a new body to take over the role that they are supposed to play because the royalty collection society for musicians and producers in Ghana isn’t doing what they are supposed to do.
“MUSIGA as well…we have seen different presidents come and go, but there is nothing we can speak about at the top of our voices… and say this body has done something tangible for musicians in our country,” he added.
To foster growth, D-Black pledged to launch capacity-building initiatives, equipping stakeholders with the knowledge and skills necessary to propel the music industry forward.
D-Black emphasized the importance of human development, promising to establish training programs that would enhance industry professionals’ capabilities and contribute to the sector’s prosperity.
“I will educate the music industry, especially business executives, on how the industry has changed over the years. A lot of artistes have managers who they trust, childhood friends, a lot of training has to go in that to make our industry viable,” he remarked.
Numerous artistes including Ohemaa Mercy, Joyce Blessing, Stonebwoy, Efya, Shatta Wale have voiced concerns over inadequate royalty payments from GHAMRO, criticizing the organization’s inefficiency.