<<Print>>

The President of the Music Council of Ghana, Ekow Micah yesterday described corrupt leaders in the Ghanaian music industry as thieves and nation wreckers, warning that the council will use all avenues to uproot them and destroy their criminal operations. According to him, the council was working very hard to put in place measures that would help to reduce corruption in the music industry. �There is a lot of corruption in the music industry which has affected music production and the lives of a large number of Ghanaian musicians,� he said. He disclosed that some of the corrupt leaders in the industry were members of a syndicate involved in music piracy and sale of musical works of Ghanaian musicians on the internet without approval from the right owners, adding that most of these corrupt leaders who are involved in music piracy have made so much money through the illegal act. He said some of the stakeholders who were tasked to manage certain positions in the industry had also refused to account for their stewardship because they considered themselves untouchable. In an interview with BEATWAVES, Ekow Micah, who is determined to bring sanity into the music industry, said �there is massive corruption in the industry which has contributed to the suffering of musicians. I want the musicians to enjoy the fruits of their labour.� Ekow Micah who stressed that the corrupt activities of certain stakeholders had contributed to the collapse of the Ghanaian music industry, however, called on all Ghanaian musicians to come together and work as a team to build a solid foundation for the industry and also fight the increasing rate of corruption in the music industry. He said the council, which was launched in May 2011 as an artistic and cultural movement to strengthen music and its stakeholders in Ghana by raising the level of consciousness, value and dignity of the society, was working tirelessly towards the growth of the music industry. He called for a common vision that would enhance unity among those in the music industry as well as the need to halt all forms of interference by the government in the operations of the industry. He said many people thought reducing or eliminating corruption in the music industry was the sole responsibility of government, but the fight against corruption and other negative practices depend on the entire leadership and not a selected few. He said the perception that corruption was not a contemporary issue must not be entertained, but stakeholders in the music industry should ensure that it is scrapped out of the society, adding that the Music Council of Ghana would not relent on its efforts to stem corruption. On the issue of music piracy, Ekow Micah expressed concern about the situation and warned those involved that the Music Council of Ghana was ready to intensify its war against all those who have deprived musicians in the country of their daily bread. He disclosed that the council had put in place a special security tasked force to embark on anti-piracy exercise to arrest persons who engage in illegal downloading and sale of music works without approval from the right owners. He noted that piracy did not only rob musicians of their expected revenue, but significantly tampered with the quality of their products, thereby causing public disaffection against them.