Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akomea has disclosed he received with utmost shock news of the amount veteran highlife musician, Daddy Lumba received as royalties for the year 2015.
Speaking on Peace FM’s Entertainment Review, Saturday, Nana Akomea mentioned that the amount was less than GH? 2,000 which is woefully inadequate considering the caliber of Lumba.
“I had a chat with Lumba prior to the remix on his campaign song for NPP and he told me the amount he received as royalties last year. You won’t believe it. I was shocked. It was less than two thousand Ghana cedis. If Lumba had this, you can imagine what others had,” he said.
Nana Akomea expressed that it was imperative that governments put in practical measures to ensure that right owners get duly paid for the use of their patents, a reason the NPP will among other things ‘collaborate with private sector interests to acquire the technology and equipment needed to log creative works, in order to determine true and deserved royalties.’
He further debunked claims that the politician pays attention to musicians only when the nation is going to the polls.
A number of musicians have over the years expressed disgruntlement over the amount they receive as royalties, abrantepa.com has observed.
Recently, the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) cut ties with the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) after talks between the two groups on royalty payment ended in a deadlock. As a result, GHAMRO at a news conference, threatened to sue radio and television networks that have refused to pay royalties for the use of their work.
Days after this development, the two parties have signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding how members of GIBA should pay music royalties.
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