Veteran gospel musician, Yaw Sarpong, is calling on the government to help fix the music industry and its royalty system.
According to him, many veteran artistes are “dying in poverty” because they have not gained enough money from their hard work over the years.
Speaking on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM, he said it is only the government that can help the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) collect royalties from every source including restaurants and bars among others.
His comments come after he was faced with a financial crisis following an accident this month.
The accident, which happened on the Accra Kumasi road, left his backup singer Tiwaa with a dislocated shoulder. The car, he added, after somersaulting also fell on one of his sons he was traveling with.
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The gospel artiste revealed that as a result, they have had to pay huge sums of money for the needed medical care.
He believes that if the country’s royalty system was good, he would not be struggling to keep up with the bills from the hospital.
He said musicians are not getting enough money from GHAMRO to help sustain them, especially in such situations.
He added that it is important government focuses on the music industry and help fix its royalty system adding that music royalties are the source of income for many artistes.