Unprofessionalism killing music industry - Diana

We can all jump for joy at the thought that there are more Gospel musicians in Ghana than there used to be a decade ago.

But a major question on the lips of almost all Gospel music fans is whether the proliferation of these gospel musicians also exhibits the required professionalism when making their music.

This is because exhibition of professionalism in any profession will not command respect for that profession but also project and attract noble people into it.

In her estimation, Diana Akiwumi, one of Ghana`s most celebrated Gospel musicians, the music industry, especially Gospel music in the country is suffering from high exhibition of unprofessionalism from some upcoming musicians.

In an exclusive interview with GO in Accra, Diana Akiwumi said most upcoming Gospel musicians have great talent but it is important for them to add value to that talent by educating themselves in that field to perform better.

Additionally, the celebrated Gospel musician told GO that other key players in the music industry such as producers, distributors among others should take the challenge to educate themselves to upgrade their professionalism and knowledge.

`We need poeple who will go to the university to become an administrator to work for the industry. Unfortunately, we have few people when it comes to distribution, only these small shops operating in town,` she said

`So we pray that we will have people who will come into the industry and invest and employ educated people to handle things professionally. And also to the musicians, they should add value to their talent by going to school to train so that they can be effective,` Diana Akiwumi added.

According to her, injection of professionalism into the industry will go a long way to improve upon the quality of music produce in the country, saying more people will also be employed into the music industry.

`Of course the music industry will employ a lot of people because it is a composite art, you need a designer to design the artist jacket, you need an engineer to work on the sound, when it comes to management of an artist, you need a promoter. So we employ people from all walks of life,` she said.

Touching further on the future of Gospel music in Ghana, Diana Akiwumi disclosed that Gospel music constitutes about 80% of music produced in this country and that government`s move to make funds available to musicians will help the industry to develop to match the international market.