Bessa Simons
Acting President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Bessa Simons, has called on Ghanaian musicians to develop their skills to enable them compose good music.
He urged young and upcoming Ghanaian musicians to be more creative to draw attention to their work so as to increase their earnings.
“Creativity is very important in the music industry. Being creative adds value to a musician’s product and draws attention to their work,” he said.
Bessa Simons appealed to Ghanaian musicians to also take to savings as a priority during their younger and active years to prepare them for challenges during their old age.
He advised them to invest their money into profitable ventures to generate more revenue for them when they were out of active business or on retirement.
According to the MUSIGA president, since people saw musicians as role models, artistes should think about the future by investing into other businesses to secure their future.
He also suggested that Ghanaian musicians needed to educate themselves in order to become recognized professionally.
He mentioned that education gave the musician more information on what they needed to do to meet the challenges ahead.
In an interview with BEATWAVES, Bessa who is credited with over 40 years experience both internationally and locally, urged Ghanaian musicians to remain committed to their culture while exploring global influences to create a brand with a universal appeal.
He, however, appealed to individuals and organizations to support aged musicians in the country by donating to the Ageing Musicians Welfare Fund (AMWeF).
The fund was established couple of years back to seek financial support from the corporate world and individuals annually to help improve the living conditions of the some of the legends of the music industry who now found it difficult to make ends meet.
It also makes provision for footing their medical bills.
Over the years, the fund has benefited a lot of ageing musicians across the country.
By George Clifford Owusu