MUDAG President warns music stakeholders

The music industry in Ghana is collapsing because a number of stakeholders are playing politics with the industry, the President of the Musicians and Dancers Association of Ghana (MUDAG), George William Dickson, has disclosed.

Speaking to BEATWAVES in a chat over the weekend, George Dickson stressed that the recent court action against GHAMRO by Nana Kwame Ampadu and 100 others has created bad blood in the music industry after enjoying a semblance of unity under GHAMRO’s representative system.

He was of the opinion that if the case is not amicably resolved with wisdom, it could send the industry back to the dark toxic days.

“Intellectual property is an intelligently and creatively invented concept acquired by a person through the capability of using the intellect. This means intellectual property is a mentally acquired property therefore if care is not taken on the way things are being run and GHAMRO issues are being judged, it can lead to chaos in the music industry,” William Dickson explained.

He also confirmed that measures have been put in place by the various music associations to embark on a demonstration against government’s interference and its decision to create a council for the stakeholders in the industry on Wednesday, July 31 2014.

Meanwhile, the President of the Music Council of Ghana (MCG), Ekow Micah, in an interview with the BEATWAVES also disclosed the purpose of the impending demonstration “is to stop the government from interfering in the activities of the music industry.”

At a close door consultative meeting held at Agona Swedru last week with all the music associations which include the Veteran Musicians Association of Ghana (VEMAG), Association of Music Rights Owners (AMRO), Musicians and Dancers Association of Ghana (MUDAG), Professional Musicians Association of Ghana (PROMAG), Composers and Authors of Music Association of Ghana (CAMAG) and a host of others, MCG was tasked to immediately organise a demonstration at 7:00am in Accra to register their displeasures.