Team arrests music pirates, bar owners

Berekum (B/A), Feb. 9, GNA - A combined team of police personnel and members of the anti-piracy task force of the Ghana Association of Phonographic Industry (GAPI) and Musicians Association of Ghana (MUSIGA) on Friday arrested 20 music retailers and pirates in a swoop at Berekum. The arrested persons included owners of the Blessed Assurance Music Shop, Mutari, Wujah-Bless, France Night Club, Scotch De Low, Unique Videos, Barcelona, Ras Pees Spot and Cameo Drinking Spot.

The team also seized both empty and pirated audio compact discs, video compact discs (VCDs), computers and accessories, equalizers and amplifiers.

Mr. John Mensah Sarpong, President of GAPI, told newsmen that the activities of music pirates had unleashed hardships on musicians and music producers through the loss of their heavy investments. He said the practice, if not checked, could kill creativity in the music industry "as the pirates are living on the sweat and toil of musicians and music producers".

"The work of music pirates in producing duplicates is further exacerbated by the fact that they distribute such pirated copies clandestinely across the country and abroad and thus evade honouring tax obligations", he added.

Mr. Sarpong said owners of entertainment joints were supposed to purchase original copies of music produced from authentic sources. He said the exercise would be sustained until the activities of the pirates would be nipped in the bud.