MP seeks to pursue supportive legislation for Copyright Law

Ho, Nov 11, GNA - Mr Francis Aggrey Agbotse, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho-West on Saturday pledged to vigorously pursue a legislation to support the Copyright Law, enacted five years ago in order to make it "combative" and "enforceable".

He said a supportive legislation was vital to addressing the inadequacies in the implementation of the Copyright Law, which seeks to provide security for musical works belonging to the class of intellectual property and other assets that ought to be protected and promoted for present and future generations.

Mr Agbotse made these remarks when he feted members of the Volta Region branch of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) at Ho as part of renewed efforts at re-organizing and re-orienting the Association to make it attractive.

He said: "Musical works are food for the soul, a rallying force and identity for the indigenous people".

The MP also criticized musicians for patronizing the debilitating "Payola syndrome", which he said was a disincentive to the music industry and advised them to collectively fight the menace. He said the mandatory payment of GH=A2200 (two million cedis) per week for the placement of musical pieces on television and radio tended to further aggravate the plight of the musicians. Mr Agbotse urged musicians to be scientific and innovative in their works, so as to raise the stakes in the local music industry and attract both local and international patronage. He pledged to donate GH=A2500 (five million cedis) and a computer towards the refurbishment of the MUSIGA regional offices at Ho. Ms Florence Azameti, Volta Regional Chairman of MUSIGA, blamed the branch's inadequacies on lack of funds, discrimination, lack of recognition, lack of standard recording studios and low standard of musical products.

She was critical of the Ho Municipal Police for turning a blind eye on the sale of suspected pirated musical works by foreigners, saying some of them were selling on the pavements of the Ho Ghana Telecom offices, very close to the Police station.

Captain Nkrabea Effah-Dartey (Rtd), MP for Berekum and a presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), urged musicians to close their ranks and shut their doors to infiltrators and opportunists seeking easy gains.

Capt Effah-Dartey, an artiste himself, pledged GH=A2300 to the re-organization processes and impressed on musicians that their trade was a highly rated business, which usurpers should not be allowed to hijack.