Gospel artist has urged his fellow musicians in the genre to acknowledge the original composers of the songs they “borrow.”
At the Celebration of His Grace concert, he voiced his discontent with the increasing trend he refers to as song theft and the failure to honor the original creators.
In a conversation with Graphic Showbiz on Monday, October 28, Bernard Amankwah, who has spent over ten years in the industry and has seen the repercussions of this issue firsthand, clarified that such practices not only violate the copyrights of original artists but also hinder the progress of the Ghanaian gospel music scene.
He noted that the gospel genre, designed to uplift and inspire, becomes compromised when these unethical behaviors are permitted to continue.
“One of the issues in our industry that is worrying is people picking other people’s songs and not crediting them and then making commercial capital out of them.”
“It’s disheartening to see fellow artistes making hits from other people’s work and fleecing them yet giving them no credit.”
“It’s not right for someone to just pick a song that one has written, rehash it and profit financially from it. It is so wrong and we need to tackle it with a sense of urgency.”
“It must be noted that people invest time and resources into their work, expecting their efforts to be respected and valued. When that doesn’t happen, it discourages creativity and innovation and that is very wrong,” he stated.
The ‘Presence’ singer emphasized the need for more robust actions to tackle these issues and urged stakeholders, particularly those within the gospel industry, to unite in fostering a culture of respect and integrity.
Amankwah is convinced that, beyond just curbing song theft, the industry should cultivate a more supportive and collaborative atmosphere that empowers gospel artists to share their messages and contributions with a wider audience.