UK-based Ghanaian music producer, Kwame Mari, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Agyapaye Music Productions, has threatened to sue the Ghana Association of Phonographic Industry (GAPI), an association of music producers, for selling his musical works on the Internet without his approval.
‘I am not happy with GAPI for downloading my works and selling them on the Internet. I am planning to sue the association for infringing on my right.’
In an interview with BEATWAVES on Friday, Kwame Mari said he was shocked to hear that GAPI’s Project Coordinator, Francis Mensah Twum, was arrested recently in connection with uploading thousands of songs on the Internet for sale without approval from the owners.
‘Instead of the producers of the association protecting the works of the right owners, it is rather infringing on the right of the producers and musicians who spend huge sums of money to produce musical albums. I will never forgive GAPI for selling my works on through the Internet without my approval,’ he said.
Kwame Mari, aka Agyapaye, in an interview stressed that his works have been uploaded on the Internet for sale since without his permission.
‘I have not assigned any of our works to GAPI to sell them through the Internet.’
He also condemned the executives of GAPI for what he termed as unnecessary attacks on the board members of Ghana Music Right Organisation (GHAMRO).
According to him, his research into the activities of the GHAMRO had revealed how transparent the board was, and how they have been operating effectively for the past two years, adding, ‘They have also made have made a lot of progress and I am happy with our performance so far.’
The music producer warned the stakeholders to beware of some mafias within the board who were bent on creating division among the rank and file of the stakeholders.
‘I don’t support GAPI’s move to kick out GHAMRO board and its Chairman, Carlos Sakyi. GAPI should rather be dissolved because the entire executives have failed the entire music industry. I think the time has come for the stakeholders in the industry to reorganise ourselves and fight those who try to create problems for the industry.’
He noted that whether GAPI executives liked it or not, Carlos Sakyi and his committed board members at GHAMRO were focused on transforming the livelihoods and championing the course of its members.
Agyapaye declared that within two years in office, GHAMRO had made systematic progress and it was only the ignorant or those blinded by selfish ambitions ‘who see nothing positive about the gains made.’
By George Clifford Owusu (beatwaves@ yahoo.com)
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