Ghana’s celebrated and internationally acclaimed divine drummer, Kofi Ghanaba, has advocated the formation of a rival musicians association to the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) to better serve the interests of musicians and inject sanity into the music industry.

He said MUSIGA had become an albatross around the neck of many musicians because of the absence of such an alternative association.

“I’m praying at the age of 84 that Carlos and his group should form the rival society so that we will join them, knowing very well that our interests will be better served,” the divine drummer said in Accra at a forum of musicians.

“We want action! We want change!” he exclaimed.

The forum, which discussed the country’s music industry and ways to move it forward, was organised by Metro TV and the BUSAC Fund on the theme, “Comparative study of the music industry of Ghana and South Africa”.

Ghanaba urged well-meaning musicians to sacrifice and change the industry for posterity, saying that if the formation of a rival organisation would bring an improvement in the operations of MUSIGA, all the better.

Another renowned musician, Mac Tontoh of Osibisa fame, urged musicians not to let anyone joke with their intellectual property. He also advised them to take research seriously in order to improve on their works.

Making a presentation on the comparative analysis of the music industries in Ghana and South Africa, Mr. Carlos Sakyi, a musician, observed that the comparison between the two industries could be described as a study of contrasts.

According to him, all the ingredients which made a business successful, like corporate governance principles of accountability and transparency, which were permanent features governing the South African industry, were totally absent in the Ghanaian music industry.

Mr. Sakyi said whereas the South African music industry had positive features, such as proper systems and structures, accountability, trust, integrity, good leadership and a solid legal framework, in Ghana the situation was the exact opposite.

He appealed to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice to ensure the amendment of all clauses in the Copyright Law (Act 690) which were inimical and injurious to the interests of players in the industry.

Those clauses, he said, included the imposition of security devices and taxes on folklore and public domain.

Mr. Sakyi also called for the establishment of proper systems and structures to ensure accountability, integrity, trust and transparency, as well as hold leaders accountable to their members.

He further advocated the fashioning out of a collective vision for the music industry to enhance unity among members and the need to halt all forms of interference by the Copyright Office and its administrator in the operations of the music industry.