Musicians and music websites wahala

On several occasions, journalists like me cry for showbiz persons as if we love them more than they do to themselves; I now understand the saying that 'making mountain out of a mole' is not just a fallacy but a manifestation in the life of humanity.

I can boldly say without fear or favour that sometimes in our bid to help Ghanaian artistes, we are made to appear as idiots.

A majority of entertainment journalists and presenters have in one way, or the other screamed out the roof that Ghanaian musicians should be given what is due them.

We sometimes end in comparing them to those in the Hollywood and even landing at the shores of Nigeria because we feel their colleagues in those lands are enjoying the fruit of their labour (artistry).

“People are feeding on the intellectual properties of Ghanaian artistes.” This is a statement one usually hears listening to entertainment shows on radio and TV.

One example is the fact that the internet is worsening the case especially with the emergence of music download sites that afford everyone with internet access to download songs from artistes.

Though this act started illegally because the managers of these sites take the song without the approval of the music right owner (musician) which has developed to become a promotional center to the extent the musician is now rather charged for a fee to upload songs of artistes.

It is alleged charges range from GH¢50 depending on the website.

Until recently, I have realized that it is serving another purpose that will blow your mind and had I not entered into the radio, I don't think I would have realized this. The artistes are now using this music websites as storage facilities.

Gone are the days when you asked an artiste especially the secular ones, to give you a song released about five to ten years ago and the feedback is usually appalling, “but eno be you dey play?”

The manager asked me to play his artiste's song on the radio, and I quickly requested for the song and he brought it to me; I immediately played the song I heard one music website's identification tune on the song.

I got mad because I thought these sites are taking advantage of our musicians but on the second thought, I realized that these websites knowingly or unknowingly have become storage facilities which are usually paid for.

My problem here is who to pay who? The artiste uses talent and money to do a song, gives it to the guy with internet facility for promotions and he puts his website identity in the song he knows nothing about to promote his website which ends up pulling traffic to the website for advertisers to look the way of the website.