The President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Bessa Simons, has expressed his commitment to advocate for artists in the country when they face unfair treatment by any organization.
He is aware of grievances from musicians who believe they haven’t received their rightful payments from the Ghana Music Rights Organization (GHAMRO).
Bessa Simons, as MUSIGA President, mentioned that his organization has legal professionals who will work alongside him to address this issue.
He emphasized that many people are unaware of the distinctions between MUSIGA and GHAMRO, leading to some musicians wrongly blaming his organization.
In an interview with Nana Ama McBrown on the Onua Showtime program, Bessa Simons emphasized MUSIGA’s readiness to support musicians with concerns about GHAMRO to ensure they receive the royalties they are entitled to.
“As for MUSIGA, if a musician is not treated fairly and they call us, we have to go to the aid of the musician. We will put measures in place so that anyone who wants to join MUSIGA will not suffer. Once you join MUSIGA, you have to know that you have a backbone. We have lawyers to aid any musician who is not being treated fairly in terms of their royalties [with GHAMRO] to make sure whatever is due will be given,” he said.
He continued: “We need to explain certain things for people to understand. GHAMRO is different from MUSIGA. Most people don’t know so when I go to places some individuals would say I should collect their monies for them. At the same time, we are in a position where we can encourage GHAMRO to make their work better.
GHAMRO has faced recurring criticism from musicians for failing to provide the correct amount of royalties owed to them.
Bessa Simons, newly elected as MUSIGA president, has the responsibility of addressing this issue and assisting musicians who have been receiving inadequate royalty payments from GHAMRO.