GHAMRO must do more to win young musicians’ trust - Edem

Ghanaian rapper Edem is tasking the newly elected
Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) Board
to employ an aggressive strategy to win the trust of
young musicians.
According to the rapper, the sour past of the music
rights body makes it unattractive to young
musicians.
Newly sworn in Chairman of the Ghana Music
Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), Kojo Antwi, apart
from promising a transparent and accountable
leadership, is targeting a campaign to woo young
musicians into the organization.
The musician, together with eight other board
members, was sworn into office as the new
Chairman after he contested the position unopposed
in Wednesday’s GHAMRO elections.
About 3,700 members of GHAMRO cast their votes
in Accra, Kumasi and Tamale to elect new board
members for the music rights body. Wednesday’s
elections were the first in GHAMRO's 25-year
history.
Kojo Antwi, who was a member of the GHAMRO
board that was dissolved by the Human Rights
Courts in July 2014, speaking in an interview with
Myjoyonline.com said the new board will bring back
the hope that GHAMRO badly needs.
“I think they all need hope and I believe I represent
that. We need to find a way to arouse [young
musician’s] interest in copyright issues because
when they write those songs, someone needs to
educate them that this is your intellectual property,”
which is their social security, the music maestro
noted.
The GHAMRO chair said he will embark on an
education campaign to educate young musicians on
the importance of copyright to them and GHAMRO
as a body. But rapper Edem, born Denning Edem
Agbeviadey believes it is easier said than done.
Speaking on News Night on Joy FM Thursday, he
said “I’m optimistic but at the same time I have a
reason to fear because if there has been
inconsistencies for 25 years, it’s going to take a lot
to earn the trust of the average artiste. It’s going to
take a lot of work to win the confidence of the
artiste because this body represents the interest of
everybody.
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This is probably the social security of an artiste.”
The ‘Koene’ hit singer explained that, “If every other
industry has structures and this industry hasn’t had
any for 25 years and then there is a change, I’m
sure people will still have a lot of concerns and it’s
going to take a lot of effort, rebranding and a lot of
commitment to be able to convenience the average
young artiste that they have to believe in it.”
Edem also blamed the lack of interest in GHAMRO
on some leaders in the industry who failed to give
them the right tutelage as young artistes.
“I don’t know where the GHAMRO office is…if the
younger ones like me don’t know where the
GHAMRO office is, if the younger ones like me
don’t go to GHAMRO meeting,” then there is a
problem, he said.
He agreed that “the younger people have to be
involved” in the affairs of GHAMRO but warned that
“you have to really feel as a young person that they
[GHAMRO] have your vested interest.”
A key issue, the rapper noted, was the concern that
older artistes were being paid more than the young
crop of musicians who are active on radio and are
doing well.
“If GHAMRO is really in the interest of the artiste,
then it has to make a conscious effort that the
artiste gets what is due them to be able to gain their
confidence.”
Mark Okraku Mantey, who was also part of the
GHAMRO board that was dissolved by the Human
Rights Courts in July 2014, believes that the
elections should change things for the music rights
body. “It is good we are going through some of
these processes, it will get better.”
“I expect them to do what people said we couldn’t
do,” he urged.