Entertainment pundit Kwame A Plus has criticized fellow musicians Samini and Black Sherif for their involvement in the Play Ghana campaign.
Speaking as a panelist on the United Showbiz show, Kwame A Plus openly disapproved of the Play Ghana campaign in its current state and highlighted the negative impact the initiative can bring on the business of Ghanaian musicians.
Citing specific examples of how the move could negatively affect the business and exposure of Ghanaian acts, he mentioned how Black Sherif would have remained a local champion if other countries decided to ban foreign music on their airwaves. He also stated that Samini wouldn’t have achieved the international recognition he has now if countries had advocated for same policy.
“Samini is part of the people who went and spoke at the press conference. Samini was taken to the South Africa World Cup to perform. Do you think Samini would have gotten that opportunity if the South Africans had also said because we are the host country, only our musicians should sing?” A Plus quizzed.
He continued, “Black Sherif is Blacko today because other countries play his songs. I can say that Nigerians even consume his content and play his songs more than Ghanaians. We had Basta Rymes and other international artists playing his music and he wants to ban other people’s songs in his country.”
Touching on the way forward, the entertainment pundit called for a public policy to make the playing of Ghanaian music more attractive.
“In this case, we could say, if you play a lot of Ghanaian music on your station, instead of paying 100% tax, maybe you pay only 70%, and when we do that, which media house won’t play Ghana songs?”
As part of efforts to promote and amplify the rich sounds of Ghanaian music, the Creative Arts Agency has encouraged music producers and Disc Jockeys (DJs) to prioritise and play local music during the festive season.
To that end, the Creative Arts Agency led by its Director, Ms Gyankromah Akufo-Addo on Thursday unveiled a campaign, dubbed #PlayGhana, to garner support for playing local music in Ghanaian homes and public events.
EAN/BB
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