Our music industry is a disgrace – Papa Loggy

Forthright Ghanaian promoter and C.E.O of Loggy Entertainment, Prince Nana Boakye Yiadom, famously known as Papa Loggy, says Ghana’s music industry has lost its repute due to certain unscrupulous behaviors of industry persons.

Talking with Flex Newspaper, the promoter made this statement, “Ignis of 4Syte TV, DJ Black, Dr. Pounds (especially) and Andy Dosty of Multimedia, Kwame Adinkra of Atinka FM, YFM DJs, Pluzz FM’s Mr. Shark, Jay Foley, Bloggers, Publicists and music downloading platform owners are all disgraceful media persons who are not using their influence to help musicians” he said in the interview.

“I dare any of the people I’ve mentioned to come out publicly and deny ever taking payola from musicians. Our music industry is a disgrace! Even legendary musicians like DL, Daasebre, Ofori Amponsah, Obrafuor, Reggie Rockstone, OK and others who have contributed immensely to the industry still do promo CDs and move from station to station soliciting for airplay. Why must this be so?” Loggy quizzed.

The aggravated Papa Loggy lamented on how music players of late take money from musicians for promotional purposes, but refuse to play the songs on air. “It is very stressful to bring out just one song and then make budget for promotions afterwards. These music players will take huge sums of money from artistes, with the promise of giving the songs massive airplay and then later play the songs only once,” he said.

“I once led a musician to pay money to a DJ for promotion of his song, but the DJ stopped playing the song after a week. I was later arrested by the police for duping the musician, while the DJ was the one who did not keep his word,” Papa Loggy revealed.

Papa Loggy went on to intimate that, while radio/TV stations abroad are paying artistes for playing their songs on air, Ghana is practicing quite the contrary. Musicians here rather pay for their songs to be aired or downloaded, while other people benefit from it.

Ghanaian music, he said, is being promoted in Gabon and other countries even though they do not understand the language, but our own DJs are here playing foreign songs all day and causing great songs of artistes who do not have money for promotion to die prematurely.

“I’m the hottest promoter in town, so I’m a witness to all these exploitative acts. It’s about time music players in Ghana support their own, because they need musicians and vice versa. If you know your management will not allow a particular song to go on air at their station, don’t take money from artistes and make fake promises to them,” Loggy added.

In his final words, Papa Loggy urged MUSIGA, GHAMRO and other musical bodies to sit up, delve into this particular issue and put things in check to curb the muddle.

He also called on Telecommunication companies to collaborate with music download sites and pay musicians funds generated from downloads of their songs.

Ghana should watch out for Nana Sei, formerly known as One Pesewa of the defunct Nframa music group as Papa Loggy has started another promotion for him. He is now the freshest artiste under the management of Loggy Entertainment and is out with a new single titled Wakyi No.