..over downloading of music from Internet
Accra, June 8, GNA - The International Federation of Musicians has expressed concern at the downloading of music from the Internet saying it is hampering the sale of musical works and the intellectual property rights of musicians. The Federation has therefore called for steps to eliminate pirates from the system before they further impoverish musicians. This was the outcome of an executive meeting of the Federation held in Budapest, Hungary.
Alhaji Sidiku Buari, Vice President of the Federation and President of the Musicians Union of Ghana, announced this when he briefed newsmen in Accra on the outcome of the meeting. He said he raised concern at the use of miming in music saying it was killing the creativity of musicians. Alhaji Buari urged musicians to do all they could to perform live with instruments on stage, saying, "most musicians in Ghana and Africa are very talented and I believe that if the campaign to encourage live band is intensified it will enhance the creativity of musicians".
The meeting he said took a strong stand on piracy, which it believed was killing the music industry. He said John Smith, President of the International Federation of Musicians and General Secretary of the British Musicians Union expressed his disgust at the falling standard of music worldwide, attributing it to the use of recorded music at public events, parties and other social gatherings. Alhaji Buari also visited Britain, Spain, USA and Canada, where he interacted with musicians and encouraged them to procure their own sets of musical instruments to work with.
