MUSIGA to Attorney General: Assist in safeguarding our intellectual property
The Vice-President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Rev. Dr. Thomas Yawson, has called on the Attorney General's (AG) Department to take legal action against media outlets and other entities that exploit musicians' works without proper compensation to protect musicians' rights and their intellectual property.
Boakyewaa Lawrencia 
He made the statement during a recent stakeholders' engagement in Accra, Ghana, hosted by the National Commission on Culture (NCC) as part of the UNESCO-Aschberg initiative, which is intended for 400 upcoming artists and creative professionals nationwide.
Rev. Yawson emphasized the impact that copyright and piracy concerns have on musicians, as well as how common these problems are in the nation. He gave examples of how media companies have utilized intellectual property without giving credit to the artists.
He emphasized the need to solve this issue immediately, saying, "Copyright and piracy issues are very prevalent in our country." Media companies, for example, utilize musicians' intellectual property for their own purposes without giving credit. Rev. Yawson clarified that the AG department must make sure media outlets pay for the songs they use.
Rev. Yawson expressed concern for both seasoned performers and upcoming artists, revealing that MUSIGA intended to gather music vendors on pen drives and register them on a platform so that the Union could keep an eye on their business practices.
He claimed that the purpose of this action was to set up a system in which worthy musicians would receive a percentage of the sales revenue.
"Although we are powerless to stop them, I propose that we organize a gathering and register them on a single website. We give them cards for them to use as donate something at the end of the day from the sales they have made to the musicians, and that is what we are doing right now," he said.
Reverend Yawson also exhorted musicians to keep up with changing developments in the music business. He emphasized that in order to give artists the tools they need to successfully navigate the dynamic landscape, they must receive training.
"We require extensive training. The majority of our artists are not aware of these dynamics, so they are forced to accept whatever the producer provides them in the studio," he said.
Rev. Yawson encouraged musicians to diversify their revenue sources beyond the music industry by advising them to investigate and invest in other businesses.
He emphasized the value of having a variety of sources of income in the ever evolving music industry.
