Kwaku Mari Agya Paye
Renowned Ghanaian music producer, Kwaku Mari Agya Paye, has cautioned female highlife musician, Akosua Agyapong to desist from making baseless allegations of misappropriation of funds against the management of the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO).
Akosua Agyapong’s accusations, he said, are far from right and should not be given listening ears.
“Those who think GHAMRO management is just chopping musicians’ money should know better,” he told BEATWAVES.
The producer, however, revealed that Akosua Agyapong during some of her radio interviews accused the management of GHAMRO of embezzling funds belonging to the right owners.
He described the musician’s statements of lies as childish and unnecessary campaign to tarnish the image of the leadership of the collective society, adding that Akosua’s statements on radio were undermining the interests of the collective society, affecting its ability to collect royalties from users.
He indicated that GHAMRO has achieved a lot within the last three years and its achievements will sure expose the activities of critics.
“Akosua does not have the mandate to speak on behalf of music users or music right owners. Works are assigned on individual basis so she cannot ask a music user not to pay royalty to the collective society,”he said.
The music producer hinted that GHAMRO management has operated with absolute integrity and transparency, therefore if Akosua Agyapong has issues with GHAMRO she has the right as a member “to walk in there and discuss her problems with them.”
Credited with over 40 albums and 600 singles with various acts, the producer advised critics including Akosua Agyapong to channel their energies towards creating job opportunities for the musicians instead of creating unnecessary tension in the music industry.
He called for drastic measures to be taken by the music stakeholders to weed out those whose activities had brought the industry to a standstill, creating more problems for it.
The producer, therefore, admitted that there are problems relating to governance, collection, members data and distribution. These matters are in all collective societies but can be resolved through teamwork and unity.
He cautioned the media not allow themselves to be used by unscrupulous persons with selfish interests.
By George Clifford Owusu