Musicians run riot over Daily Guide story

Some musicians and key players in the music industry last Monday besieged the premises of the Copyright Society of Ghana (COSGA) in reaction to a story in the Monday edition of the Daily Guide, headlined “Joe Ghartey Urged to Stop Royalty Distribution”.

The story cited Faisal Helwani, a producer, calling on the Attorney General, Hon. Joe Ghartey to stop COSGA from collecting and distributing royalties on behalf of right owners because COSGA had failed to account to the right owners.

According to Mr. Helwani, the new copyright Act 690 section 49 makes it possible for the formation of a different society to take care of royalties, adding that with the new law COSGA seizes to exist. He called also for a probe into the operations of COSGA.

Apparently, just by looking at the headline without considering the contents of the story, the musicians stormed COSGA offices to demonstrate against the story as well to collect their royalties before the Attorney General stops it.

By a phony press conference, the Daily Guide reporter was lured to the COSGA premises to face the wrath of the misinformed musicians.

The angry musicians, who were shouting, would not listen to the reporter’s explanations and called for a march to Helwani’s house, which was halted by Alhaji Sidiku Buari, President of MUSIGA.

Some officials of COSGA and musicians accused the reporter of ‘allowing himself to be used by Faisal Helwani to plant the story’, which they claimed was to deprive musicians. They claimed Faisal was not even a musician but a producer and as such had no right to make such comments.

Beatwaves overhead one of them saying, “we want our money no matter how big or small it is”.

One musician, who wanted to remain anonymous said musician were poor and that the reporter should use his medium to tell the government of their plight.