PIRACY…. A VIRUS DEVELOPED BY MUSICIANS

What is so hurting than spending so much money to record a song and giving it out to pirates for free? Yes, our Musicians developed the Virus ‘PIRACY’ which is now fighting against them and it seems they can’t find an anti virus for it. I am very sure many will disagree with me, but after weeks of thorough research I can confirm that our ‘MUSICIANS’ in the country do not understand their career and how to go about it, in terms of Promotions, distributions, marketing, durations and branding. Don’t be surprised if you don’t know when your favorite musician’s new single will be hitting the FM stations, because they (Musicians) do not understand ‘DURATION STRUCTURE’ and hence they do things anyhow. Just walk with me I will make you understand why am saying ‘PIRACY… A VIRUS DEVELOPED BY MUSICIANS’.
For some time now the cry of Piracy has gone down drastically if you have noticed, back in those days like the past few years majority of the musicians where crying over piracy and looking out for royalties from TV and radio stations. What has changed so much that the musicians have reduced the pressure on their union head “MUSCIGA’ to push against such an act which is still growing in the country. Have they left that issue because they feel it cannot be stop or because they think MUSICGA has failed them as a union? Probably they wanted the government of Ghana to step into the issue by possibly passing a LAW of copy right to protect their creativity and investments? Or they expected the media to do extra with the fight of piracy growing in the country, these musicians in the country are very funny and un serious with their career, they miss prioritize their activities as a Musician and do little learning about their career, all they care about are two things which are normal benefits attached to their career.
Musicians are very funny, if I spend so much money to record a song with “Richie” of Lynx Entertainment, Kaywa of Tema, Killbeat of Tema, Appiateus, Ephram, Mr. Bones, Iwan, Jay So, Lil Shaker, Bro Kevin Beats, Nacy, etc and I don’t structure my durations, promotions and marketing well, at the end of my spending so much I turn to give it out to pirates without knowing, am I causing more harm or good. What am I saying, is very simple, because they believe some Dj somewhere in a radio station will charge or collect some payola before making their song a hit, they intend to give it out for free….
The musicians have forgotten that technology has developed so well that nothing is hidden these days in the world, but they turn to put their music on the internet like limelight.com,bigxgh.com,Africanpromomix.com, and so on just for people to download their songs for free. Why? These musicians do not understand promotions and marketing; if they did they will not make their songs so cheap on the market and call it promotions. If it is Promotions then why do you cry out when you find people selling your music to make money?
Go to Kwame Nkrumah Circle in the capital, pass in front of Ebony Restaurant, or just before Orion Cinema (where newspaper are distributed ) you will meet the original distributors of music and promotion managers there, downloading songs which caused so much to do to people for a fee of ₵1. That money goes into whose pocket, theirs and not the artiste/musician. I passed by with a friend one afternoon, with the intention of downloading a song by Obrafour’s “PAE MU KA” plus a couple of others from this guy at circle. So we saw the advert “put songs on your phone for ₵1” and we drew closer, we requested for the song and it will amaze you, these people are making so much off our musicians for free. The guy has got tracks, so many of them, from all artiste in the country, an advice to charter house here for free… the guy was saying if they (charter house, organizers of Ghana Music Awards) want to know the song that is loved and patronize by Ghanaians the most they should come visit us. When he downloaded the songs for us my friend asked him where he had the songs and he said “but the songs are around and everybody has it, from internet to phones and sometimes it comes from the studios”.
Our musicians are the developers of the Virus PIRACY, because if I can go to limelight.com, bigxgh.com, etc and get a free download of a song why won’t I do anything with it. In the act of avoiding the proper procedure of promotions, durations marketing and branding so that their songs, at least can be protected and it can help them claim charges for royalties and increase album sales (which according to them has died out) musicians will not take that route but will love to cut corners and in cutting corners, they are increasing PIRACY.
Stand by a DVD seller and ask him whether he has a collection of both audio and video collection of Ghanaian music and you love it. People combine these songs into a VCD’s and audio selection, give it a name and sell it others who need it for a fee of ₵1.50p, that monies also goes into the pocket of the wholesaler and retailer with the artiste getting Zero.
In the beginning I stated that our musicians are concerned about two things, which are money from Shows (with the intention that album sales are dead) and fame. In a chat with some of them, they claim that people don’t really buy CD’s these days, so if he can make the song so popular for him to get a show, they are assured of getting the money spent on the song back and also from that the artiste becomes a celebrity (famous). What a mindset? Instead of structuring your promotional strategy and marketing to get the songs out there to the proper people, you are killing your investments and praying you get a show in order to be able to get back some of the money spent.
Before technology brought downloads, where were people getting their songs to play at parties, home and in their cars… isn’t it album buying or walking into a radio station and asking if he can get a copy of a particular song. Why can’t that thing be brought back, if Musicians will be fair with radio stations especially DJ’s trust me their songs can be protected and they can claim royalties. Last year an artiste tried the Duration thing with a radio station and it worked for her. She agreed with the radio station to play her new singles over a period of calculated months, after which she will released her album. That gave the radio station additional value because they were the only station playing and giving her exclusives, isn’t that ‘DURATION STRUCTURE’.
The early musicians re structure their promotional plans, the better for them, a promotional CD is very necessary for any new album coming but if not properly done can kill the artiste before time. Musicians should change their poor mindset and think outside the box to get their album sales back because it is possible, they should relate to the media well and their VIRUS will be reduced. Above all they should learn about their career in order to be able to very professional, it is sad how things are done any how in our country, if an artiste can get nomination for an award with a single, why won’t he spread the single to earn that nomination. Instead of using an album to get nomination, these days singles are used, that has killed album sales and increased PIRACY.
For the fact that songs can still begotten online for free, promotional CD’s get to any body at any time, (at least a DJ in a club, pub or a radio station)
Story By: Nana Yaw Wiredu