The president of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Diana Hopeson has warned radio and television station presenters to desist from taking money from musicians before playing their music.
Speaking at an emergency meeting organized by the union in Accra, she said, “I am pleading with radio and TV stations to stop taking money before playing our music,” and pointed out that “we do not have to pay presenters before our music videos are aired.”
She was of the view that it was wrong for a radio or television presenter to force a musician to pay money before his or her music is aired.
At the meeting the MUSIGA president announced a project that would give Ghanaian musicians an opportunity to promote their music globally through the internet.
The project which has already started, according to her, would allow people all over the world to log onto www.tvu.com/musigatv to access musical clips and tunes of Ghanaian
musicians and also enable the artistes to sell their music online.
The Union, she said, was also rehabilitating a rehearsal unit at the head office with support from the Danish Cultural Fund to help those who cannot afford some facilities needed to enhance their work.
Mrs Hopeson as well announced that MUSIGA had signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a grant to establish a centre to train members on the need to practice professionally.
She said MUSIGA was now a member of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and mentioned that the organization was trying to secure a social security scheme for members through the SSNIT informal sector programme.
Mr Kofi Asamoah, secretary general of TUC informed members of a new pension scheme – “a three-tier pension” – that made provision for the informal sector. He advised them to be united and bury any differences among them.