Musicians demonstrate against piracy

Kumasi, Nov 22, GNA - Members of the Ashanti Regional branch of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) on Tuesday went on a five-hour demonstration in the Kumasi Metropolis in protest against piracy of their works.

It was also to launch a war against persons and people who, by their acts, are collapsing the music industry.


The demonstrators wore red bands, red shirts and black trousers and held placards that read, "Piracy is a great Crime", "Don't Kill Creativity", "Internet Cafe Stop pirating our Works", "Musicians are dying of Poverty", "Pirates must be Prosecuted" and "Pay Royalties to COSGA, Music Users".


The rest were "Help Save the Music Industry from total Collapse". "CEPS arrest Pirates at our Borders", "Music is For the Ear and not to enrich illegal Pockets" and Don't Burn our music on University Campuses".


The over 200 musicians started off from their office at the Centre for National Culture at Bantama and after marching through the principal streets amidst brass band music presented a petition to the Ashanti Regional Minister.


They stated among other issues in the petition that never in the history of the country had the music industry been plagued by such serious setbacks as they see today


"Our original musical works on Compact Disc (CD) are not patronised because of pirates who flood the market with counterfeit products which they sell at cheap prices to enrich themselves at the expense of the original owner", they said.

They said should the industry be allowed to collapse, the nation's cultural heritage and tourism potential would suffer as countless jobs would be lost.


The musicians did not only call for the setting up of the Copyright Tribunals to deal with those who violate piracy laws but also music users must also be made to pay the expected royalties to benefit owners of music works.


They called on the government to pass the Legislative instrument (L.I) on the Copyright without further delay.


They also stressed the need for importers who bring duplicated musical products into the country to get clearance from the Copyright office and the Copyright Administrator before such goods are allowed into the country.


Mr Ernest Yaw Kwarteng, The Ashanti Regional Coordinating Director who received the petition on behalf of the Regional Minister, Mr Emmanuel Asamoah Owusu Ansah, appealed to the demonstrators to exercise restraint as the government looked into their grievances. Among the demonstrators were Professor Kofi Abraham, Regional Chairman of MUSIGA, Adolf Osei, Representative of Copyright Society of Ghana, Ewura Ama Badu, Regional Vice-Chairman, Flady Djan, Regional Secretary and Odiyifo Atakora Adarkwa, a gospel musician.