Beenie Words: Letter to MUSIGHA, GHAMRO

Dear MUSIGHA, GHAMRO,

Specifically to the benefit of those who didn’t know, media and entertainment jobs include reporters, correspondents, broadcast & news analysts, writers & authors, editors, photographers, graphic designers, translators, film & video editors & camera operators, broadcast & sound engineering technicians, announcers, producers & directors, and performers (from actors to musicians and composers). 

On the other hand, I’m very much aware there are well educated individuals who are well vested in media and entertainment at large. The workers who are behind the scenes and focused on the business side are public relations people, talent agents and representatives, marketing managers, entertainment lawyers, and distribution workers, et al.

To thrive for today’s and tomorrow’s standard practice to govern the entertainment industry,  those who are qualified to be addressed as industry players, need to adapt new strategies, multiple revenue streams, distinct exploitation windows and operating models to address several key imperatives.

 It’s therefore very important to note that, the industry needs well structured policies and offices for the collection, recording, formulation of hypothesis and the use of data to carry out accurate analysis, reports and facts under every year of review so there won’t be any form of conflict of interest. In fact this could be the saviour of entertainment industry.

I stand to be enlightened, from my angle of elevation, viewing our entertainment industry from my small cave, I have come to the realisation that, the industry is very picky, especially with the media (radio/tv). The point I’m trying to raise is most of these media houses have their favourite selected celebrities or better still public figures. Such public figures are always in the news, even when there’s nothing to pen down about them. Of course there are some few neutral media houses. But the truth of the matter is we need a neutral industry governance.

It is also undeniable we have some so called public figures puffed with so much pride, selfish, arrogant, self centered, body seers, ungodly, et al who are doing more bad than good to the industry. How can the industry grow with such bad attitudinal display? Funny enough, most of the puffed prided individuals are occupying high positions. Mmmmmm!!!!!!.

I wonder what has been put in place, in concrete terms to push or uplift the industry to the brim. In terms of organisation, the enemy of innovation in these situations is killing the industry. I stand to be enlightened one more time, I feel there’s no ‘country management’ structure even with the existence of MUSIGHA, GHAMRO et al, which is supposed to bring the various industry divisions together under a single umbrella in the country, so that, it can adjudicate optimally between one model and another, without creating too much internal conflict. That’s the first point, and probably one of the most important points. This can be attributed to the movie and anyother creative act related industry as well. So far the entertainment industry is trying but if things must be done, it must be done well by rethinking surviving measures to rescue our stagnant industry to project and attract multinational investors. With this and other things put in place, our creative industry can also have affiliations with giant media companies worldwide. 

For a while now series of thoughts has been jumbling up in mind, thus I don’t know if I’m ignorant to it but what is the Ministry of arts and industry doing to support the entertainment industry? The drive behind the question is, most of the circle of individuals who find themselves in the act of music, particularly Rocky Dawuni, Stonebwoy, Samini, Sarkodie, Shatta Wale and other are without doubts waving the flag of Ghana high worldwide. The records are there to prove it. Since there are no structures in terms of commerce, we can’t even figure out how much  the media and entertainment industry (creative industry) contributes significantly to various sectors such as the film companies, music labels, publishing companies, broadcasting & programming companies which includes radio stations & networks and the entire country at large. 

Drawing down the curtains about the few loop holes I have been able to identify as a concerned individual, I put it to the general public since it’s a national issue, why has our industry chosen to understand develop and also choose popularity over quality?

Signed By:
John Claude Tamakloe.