Kwaisey Pee
ONE OF Ghana’s talented highlife musicians, Kwaisey Pee, has cautioned fellow musicians not to rely on royalties from the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) because it cannot sustain their livelihoods.
The musician, who described as heartbreaking, Ghana’s royalty collection and distribution system for musicians, said musicians should forget about royalties and work hard to attract more shows.
The ‘Mehia Odo’ hitmaker claimed he does not depend on royalties from the collective society to survive as a musician. “I have not received royalty for years,” he revealed.
Though the royalty payment system in Ghana has been a major problem, which has hindered the growth of the industry due to structural challenges of royalty collection, Kwaisey Pee believes those in charge can do better.
He, however, advised his colleagues not to depend on it but rather invest their money into profitable ventures to generate more revenue for them.
“Just do what you have to do and make it happen, rather than focus on what will bring you no benefits like waiting for royalties,” he said.
In an interview on the Happy Evening Drive on Happy FM, Kwaisey Pee said, “I haven’t received any royalties from the industry yet, and even if I have, it’s nothing to write home about. I don’t think if our top musicians like Kojo Antwi and the others had depended on royalties they would not have achieved everything they have today.”
There have been lots of discussions and complaints from some Ghanaian musicians that they have received little, or never received any money from the collective society even though their songs are obviously being played.
Some of the stakeholders of the music industry also think the Collective Management Organisation (CMO) has not lived up to expectations, though the executives have explained that their biggest challenges have been acquiring the right software to track how songs are played on radio and television.
The management of Ghana Music Right Organisation (GHAMRO) in charge of royalty collection and distribution recently revealed that most music users in Ghana including radio and television stations have been recalcitrant in paying their royalties.