BEENIE WORDS: Event Organizers must stop exploiting budding Artistes

Before addressing the subject matter, I would like to give credit to level headed, credible and selfless event organizers (No name is singled out due to personal reasons) who are working effortlessly, investing herclean sums of money into productions to stage events to help push both gifted upcoming acts and established acts. 

This article aims to give a comprehensive account on how some or most event organizers exploit up and coming acts without recourse. There’s a irrefutable evidence that our Ghanaian music industry lacks structures and policies to help build our music industry on a solid foundation to help artistes succeed in their chosen path of career. 

As it stands, the music industry is an arduous fiefdom to penetrate, yet some event organizers turn deaf ears and blind eyes to the situation to make things extra difficult for the young acts, taking advantage of the situation to make more money for their selfish interests.

 You would be surprised to know, some of these upcoming acts by virtue of the fact they are very optimistic and desperate, they end up greasing the palm of some events organizers when their in the capacity to, other organizers also outsmart young acts by sweet talking them with countless promises to perform yet, aside been given the platform to display their craft they get nothing in return. 

Though most are not financially stable, they do all they can in their capacity to invest as much as possible into their crafts, pay transportation to events grounds and other needs yet some organizers are hard hearted about these underground acts state of affairs. This makes it even more heavier a load for the underground acts (“some would address them to be”) to carry as they strive and make every move to climb to the top. It’s no surprise people would love to chew the fact but truth of the matter is, the fact can’t be hidden. 

Ghanaian music icons like Samini, Stonebwoy, Shatta Wale, Sarkodie, R2Bees, etc also have series of history regarding such traumatic experience with been exploited by events organizers yet keeping their eyes on the price, alongside marrying determination with hard work and burning desire they are soaring high above the sky musically and financially. But the question is, how many people can survive this heartbreaking situation? Moving forward, we need to advance as a creative industry. 

In spite of the fact that most upcoming acts may not behest the necessary fan base for the time been, it doesn’t arrest their red blooded efforts to toasty and gather audience for the established acts to take over. They also play vital roles to spice up the events. 

If not for anything, event organizers should at least indemnify underground acts for their talents. Due to this distasteful treatments (exploitation), many talented  upcoming acts with zeal, vigor and potentials are forced to give up on their music dreams. The most disturbing part of the situation is, established acts sometimes face such problems without number with every organizers, how much more upcoming acts. 

I hear well respected industry players like president of MUSIGA, Bice Osei Kuffour and other stakeholders complain bitterly about poor industry structures / policies and so on and so forth. My question is, what are all these industry players doing in their individual respective rights to help build the non existing structures and policies undermining the growth of our Ghanaian music industry. You will concur with me because there are no policies and structures to govern the entertainment industry, the creative industry is not aware of how much money it adds up to the economic growth of Ghana. 

This is one of the main reasons, government doesn’t really take interest in our activities. Beeniewords.com believes in action before reaction, if the creative industry doesn’t take action to champion a positive course, how would government react to our call for help and support. MUSIGA and GHAMRO must sit up, stakeholders and other creative related bodies should come on board to get the job done. Musician Union Of Ghana (MUSIGA) as the mother of the music industry which oversees and protects the affairs of musicians cannot not sit and watch the devastating condition of our under developed industry where some circle of people are making money off other people’s sweat. 

Why are the policies of MUSIGA not been implemented if they exist? If there are no policies governing the organization, heads and board of directors must enact beneficial policies to protect the rights of musicians and their other branches of music. 

Be on a look out for our next article on why it’s so difficult for upcoming acts to attract good investors and make it to limelight. 

(Written by: John Claude Tamakloe)