Gyedu-Blay Ambolley yesterday warned that Ghanaian musicians will not sit unconcerned for unscrupulous people to sell their works on the internet without their permission and approval.
In an interview with BEATWAVES yesterday, he said he was shocked to hear that a music producer, Francis Mensah Twum, who had been arrested for pirating musical works and selling them on the internet, could go to the extent of uploading thousands of songs on the internet for sale without approval from the owners.
The afro jazz musician said Twum’s action was criminal, adding, “We will make sure the laws deal with him accordingly.”
Ambolley, who was happy that a suspect of internet music piracy had been arrested, stressed that he and his colleagues would follow the matter to its logical conclusion because internet music piracy was slowly killing the music industry.
The Police on Tuesday February 11, arrested Francis Mensah Twum, who is also the project coordinator of GAPI, an association made up of music producers, for selling musical works of Ghanaian musicians on the internet without permission and approval from the right owners.
Soon after his arrest, a number of prominent musicians including Akosua Agyapong, Paa Willie, Obuoba J.A Addo among others whose works were being sold on the internet, rushed to the CID offices to make a formal complaint against the suspect.
Daddy Lumba, Abrantie Amakye Dede, Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, Carlos Sakyi, King David, Jewel Ackah and a host of others who also claimed to be victims of the internet music piracy were yet to make a formal complaint to the police.
In a chat, one of the victims, King David told BEATWAVES, “My works have been uploaded on the internet for sale since 2007 without my permission. I have not assigned any of my works to Francis Mensah Twum or GAPI to sell them through the internet.”
When Francis was contacted on the issue, all that he said was, “I am talking to my lawyers on the issue and at the appropriate time you will hear from me.”
He added that he had all the necessary documents to prove he was a not a music pirate.
