A legendary highlife musician, Ackablay Anthony, has urged the administrators of universities in Ghana to introduce music business management as an academic programme.
This, according to him, will help industry players acquire the requisite skills to promote Ghanaian music internationally.
He thinks the majority of industry players are ignorant about the business aspect of music, hence the need for them to be formally educated.
Just as in other professions, the veteran musician believes formal education will ensure seriousness and efficiency in the industry.
He made these comments in an interview with Roselyn Fellini on Prime Morning on Friday.
“The people who call themselves the music overseers in the industry don’t have any knowledge about how music or the industry are managed. I call them NATO (that is No Action Talk Only). They just know how to talk, but they don’t know how to do it, and it’s unfortunate we don’t have music business courses in the universities,” he said.
The industry players, according to him, are working to improve the sector, but they lack business skills, which is hindering its growth.
Ackablay further asserted that the industry is inactive because of the government’s neglect of the sector.
Also, the “Take Away” hitmaker indicated that highlife music is gradually fading out, and the new generation of musicians, even though they produce highlife rhythms, do not portray themselves as such. He said they emulate foreign culture instead of Ghanaian culture in their music videos.
“A music producer friend came to Ghana to scout for a musician, but he will call me every morning to tell me that he doesn’t see Ghanaian musicians on TV. Do you know why? Because our youth who are on television are always dressing like Americans,” he added.
Meanwhile, he has commended Kelvin Boy and Kuami Eugene, among others, for promoting highlife. He urged other musicians to proudly identify themselves as highlife musicians, as it originated in Ghana.
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